


Witch Hunting Season

by InfernumLilith



Category: Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (TV 2018)
Genre: AU Chilling of adventures of Sabrina, Blood, Daggers, Dating, Directrix Zelda, Drama, F/F, Flirting, Fluffy, Guns, High Priestess Zelda, Maybe Minor Character Death, Rape/Non-con mentioned in chapter 9, Seducing, Smut, Teasing, Violence, angst maybe?, more tags will come with more chapters, witch hunter Mary Wardwell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-04-04
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:07:26
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 50,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22412245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InfernumLilith/pseuds/InfernumLilith
Summary: A notorious Witch Huntress in a quest to eliminate everything unholy on Earth. In this case, witches and wizards. Mary assumes the role of a teacher to get close to the Spellmans and gather information on their coven. A High Priestess in a quest to protect her coven and her family. Who will win? Mary? Zelda? No one? Or both?Witch Huntress Mary Wardwell. High Priestess Zelda Spellman. Need I say more?Rated Explicit with Graphic Depictions of Violence just to be on the safe side. There will be some blood and violence.
Relationships: Zelda Spellman & Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith, Zelda Spellman/Mary Wardwell | Madam Satan | Lilith
Comments: 117
Kudos: 294





	1. The Introduction of Mary Wardwell

**Author's Note:**

> First of all, a lot of thanks to skillwithaquill for giving me the idea in the first place!
> 
> This is an AU of Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. It will not follow the show's plot unless it will actually help the plot I have in mind. Also I do not think that Satan, Lilith and Hell in general will make an appearance.  
> I hope you really enjoy this. If you do, leave me a comment so I will know if it's a good idea to continue.  
> It's 5am and I am too exhausted to even think if I want to add something to this note so without further ado, I give you the first installment of Witch Hunting Season.

Black leather jacket, a black pair of jeans and black knee high boots was Mary Wardwell’s chosen attire. You see, Mary Wardwell was a notorious witch huntress and she only hunted for her prey at night. Black was the perfect color to move quick and undetected in the shadows. She was hunting down witches and warlocks as long as she could remember herself. In fact, she had killed her first witch when she was only 16 years old. The brunette still remembered her first kill.

He was a handsome warlock she had “bumped” into a bar back when she was in London. Mary had received information earlier that day about a man who could possibly be a dangerous warlock lurking at the Witch’s hat, a themed bar for those idiots who liked fantasy worlds. Of course, to Mary’s kind each and every warlock and witch were dangerous. The moment she bumped into him, she felt the amulet she wore between her breasts come alive and warm her skin. She had found her target at last so she had spent her night flirting with him with only one objective in her mind; to be invited back to his apartment. She couldn’t help the satisfied smirk that painted her blood colored lips when he actually suggested it. She continued with her flirty demeanor until they were both inside his apartment and away from prying eyes. The opportunity came when he turned his back to pour them a drink. The moment he turned back around, Mary stood in front of him looking at him with the coldest set of blue eyes. Before he had a chance to defend himself, Mary had sliced open his neck using her trusted Angelic Medieval Dagger; a gift she received from the nuns that raised her.

That night she realized her mistake. A mistake she never again repeated. “Never slice someone’s throat when you are standing in front of them”. The mess was unimaginable. She had spent hours upon hours to clean herself and her clothes but that kill had left her with quite the buzz. She didn’t feel any regrets or remorse.

You see, it wasn’t that Mary was a bad person, a serial killer of witches; even though that was one of the names she was branded with. At the age of seven, Mary had lost her parents when someone had broken into their home in Scotland. Mary was asleep but was awoken by her mother’s scream. She had run downstairs and she was faced with the lifeless bodies of her parents. Trembling to the core, she looked around fearfully for an intruder but there was no one else around. She climbed down the stairs and went to her mother, kneeling beside her, shaking her lifeless body and calling for her to wake up. When she didn’t get a response, she approached her father’s body and repeated her actions but she again didn’t receive an answer. That was when she actually saw the blood around their bodies. It had already soaked her socks and pajama pants. The scream that erupted from her throat was deafening but it was exactly what alerted her neighbors.

Little Mary hadn’t known how much time had passed; she only remembers being dragged away from the blood bath by the police. There were questions, a lot of them, about what happened and Mary had a vague memory of her answering some of them. The next thing she remembers is being dragged in a convent which she spent the rest of her years until her 17th birthday. The police never caught her parents’ killer apparently or the murder weapon. In fact they couldn’t even explain how the killer got in and out of the house since every door and window were locked tightly. The answer was given to Mary at the age of 11 by Mother Superior. “Witches, Mary. They exist and they are the devil’s spawn.” Was what she had said to Mary. “They are a danger to our kind and they need to be stopped before they hurt more people.”

Those words stayed deep within Mary. Witches were the reason Mary grew up without parents, without love or affection. “And who can stop them, Mother?” she had asked eyes wide with worry and curiosity. “But witch hunters, my dear. They are our only hope. They are the only ones who can clean our world.” The nun had informed her. “A-and what does someone have to do to become one?” Mary had asked innocently. Mother Superior had eyed Mary with a smirk and a gleaming look in her eyes. Young Mary identified that particular look as pride but it was anything but. In fact, it was the sickest, most disturbing look a person could achieve. That was the day Witch Huntress Mary was born.

Another thing you need to know about Mary is that no witch or warlock knew who she was or what she looked like. The only thing they knew about her was that her kills were never clean. No witch escaped from her clutches if they were captured. Everyone knew Mary’s killing style. It was bloody and it was always a sliced throat; just how her parents died. In her opinion it was poetic. The other witch hunters preferred to keep a distance from her victims. No. No victims. Their prey. They used guns or crossbows, aiming for the heart or the head.

Mary, on the other hand, was still using her trusted Angelic Medieval Dagger but she had made a few additions to her armory. They consisted of two Revolvers, one hanging from each hip, and one Riffle hanging on her back. She rarely used the Riffle, only when the need arose. As for the Revolvers, her Angel Wings, as she called them, they were used to neutralize any witch or warlock their bullets came in contact with. The bullets were infested with a substance that was released in the body and neutralized any magical ability. It worked like a charm every time before the big kill. They were used mostly for her own protection. Mary’s killing style branded her with her special nickname; one she particularly enjoyed and one everyone knew about and was scared of.

_Bloody Mary_

Mary was a drifter. She had traveled all over the world, following the information she was supplied with but she always targeted lone warlocks and witches. It made her job easier and safer. With each successful kill, Mary grew more confident in her abilities and quite arrogant. That was the moment the huntress decided to go after her first coven. She had stumbled upon some information about a small town called Greendale and some of its suspicious residents. The fact that it was a small town could certainly create problems for her, so she needed to change her strategy.

First order of business was to create a new identity with a valid back-story. Then she proceeded to contact Mother Superior with a favor. Her request was simple enough for the nun. “Use your contacts and get me a position at Baxter High in Greendale.”

As to not raise any suspicion, the huntress decided to lay low for a couple of years. So for two years, Mary played the role of Lilith Gladstone, a shy Christian teacher who taught history to the rebellious teenagers of Baxter High while at the same time gathering information on the Spellmans, the family of one of her students, and their coven, the Church of Night.

What the huntress didn’t know then was that this particular coven was going to be her destruction.


	2. Agitated or sexually frustrated?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Witch Huntress and High Priestess meet for the first time in two years under the disguise of a teacher and an aunt. Sparks fly but so does sexual tension, but Zelda has anger issues and who's better to push her buttons if not Mary?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and the comments, guys. I really appreciate it. I hope you enjoy the second chapter!

There was one thing Mary hated more than witches; Lilith’s wardrobe. For two years, she had to dress like a conservative Christian teacher and she hated every minute of it. From her hair, that was always wrapped into a bun, to her skirts, that were always below the knee, every article of clothing was more ridiculous than the next. Every time she was at Baxter High, she longed to return to her house, let her hair loose and change into her black satin nightdress or at least into her leather jacket if she was going for a stake out.

Her act as a teacher seemed endless. She had spent two years in that God forsaken town and the information she gathered was almost nonexistent. She tried keeping Sabrina close, entertaining her with chats and advice or offering her help when the girl asked for it but the young blonde never let anything slip about her being a witch. So far the only thing Mary knew was that they owned a Mortuary, Zelda was the High Priestess of their little coven (which she found out by hiding in the shadows while Hilda and Sabrina had a quiet discussion at Dr. Cerberus’) and that they indeed prayed to Satan. She needed a way to infiltrate the Academy but she couldn’t do that when she didn’t even know where it was located. She spent many nights going through the woods and yet she couldn’t find a single clue.

Back to the present the brunette looked at herself in the mirror and sighed. She ran her hands down her body straightening her red blouse and black skirt. This particular outfit was the only one she hated the least. She clipped a brooch of a silver fox on her blouse at the left side of her chest and took a deep breath. She was starting to get tired and restless with waiting. She longed for some action but she wasn’t getting any, neither in the sex field nor the “war” field, as she called it. A wrong move in both of these fields could blow up her cover, so she couldn’t take any chances.

Grabbing her briefcase and her coat, she slammed the door behind her and got into her car. She drove to school in silence, eyes locked to the road. She had a long day ahead of her and she was definitely not looking forward to it. It was parent-teacher conference day at school which meant that besides the students, she had to face their parents or legal guardians as well. She was certainly not looking forward to it. Lilith Gladstone may appear like a friendly and sweet woman but Mary Wardwell was the exact opposite.

As she was walking to her office passing through her students, a chirpy voice coming from her right stopped her. She closed her eyes trying not to groan. _It’s too early for this._ She masked her discomfort with a bright friendly smile and turned around.  
“Good morning, Miss Gladstone. Beautiful day, isn’t it?” Sabrina smiled happily at her.

“It sure is, my dear. How are you? Nervous about today?” Mary mirrored her smile with ease.

“Oh, not at all! I know exactly what to expect.” She grinned proudly and Mary had to bite the inside of her cheek as to not snap at her.

“But of course. You are one of the best students in Baxter High.” Mary gushed over her which only caused Sabrina’s smile to widen. “If you’ll excuse me, I have to get ready. It’s a long day today.”

“Of course! Have a great day, Miss Gladstone.” Sabrina waved at her running after her friends.

Mary turned around rolling her eyes as soon as Sabrina was out of view. The excitement of the girl was getting on her nerves lately. She made her way to her office, ready for the day to be over already.

After the classes were over for the day, Mary stayed in her office waiting to receive each parent separately. Almost all of them came and went; others with smiles and others with frowns. Mary didn’t pay attention to any of them. In fact she couldn’t care less for the children’s progress or how their parents felt about it.

Half an hour later and still no knock on the door. Mary leaned back into her chair stretching her legs under her desk. School was out and judging by the time, the parent-teacher conference should be coming to an end soon. She wondered where Hilda was and why she hadn’t stopped by yet. She was the only one to attend Sabrina’s parent teacher conference every time. That visit was the only one, Mary actually cared about. She always took the opportunity to suck up to the talkative short blonde just so she could gain her trust and “friendship”. One of them would crack eventually. Or would drive Mary crazy in the process. Either way she had to at least try.

A soft knock on the door pulled her away from her musings.

“Come in.” she spoke up turning her eyes at the door. Her eyebrows shot upwards for a moment at the surprise. The woman who walked into her office was gorgeous. The most beautiful woman she had ever seen. She seemed familiar but she couldn’t place her. You see, even though Mary had been in Greendale for two years, it was the first time she actually came face to face with Zelda Spellman. The few times she actually saw the redhead, she was too far away to notice anything about her, like for example how green and beautiful her eyes were. _Wow, Mary, snap out of it._ Mary scolded herself and smiled politely at Zelda.

“Good afternoon, Miss Gladstone.” The beautiful woman greeted her. Her voice was lovelier than her looks; so smoky and silvery. She walked closer to the desk and Mary had to urge to ran her fingers through those beautiful red locks. ”Zelda Spellman, Sabrina’s aunt.” Zelda introduced herself thrusting her hand in front of her. Well that burst Mary’s bubble. The only person Mary felt sexually attracted to had to be a witch. Of course. That was just her luck. “I am sorry I am late but my sister just informed me that she is unable to attend.” The redhead explained.

“That is okay, Miss Spellman. You are not late at all. Please have a seat.” Mary shook her hand and then waved to the chair in front of her. She caught Zelda eyeing her up and down as she was moving to sit. Mary sat up straight and crossed her arms on her desk in front of her. She noticed how Zelda’s eyes lowered but snapped up to Mary’s eyes almost immediately. _Interesting._ Mary smirked a little just so that Zelda could see that she had been caught. The blush was almost instant on her cheeks. The redhead cleared her throat and tried to push the awkwardness behind her. _Interesting indeed._

“So, Miss Gladstone-”

“Just Lilith, please.” Mary flashed a flirty smile at her, cutting her off.

Zelda fidgeted uncomfortably. “I-I don’t think that would be appropriate, Miss Gladstone.”

“I don’t see why not, Miss Spellman.”

“You are Sabrina’s teacher and-“

“I don’t see why that would be a problem.” Mary leaned back on her chair, the flirty smile never leaving her lips. “Being on a first name basis won’t make me favor Sabrina any less than I already do.”

“Still, I don’t think-” Zelda raised her voice a bit only to get cut by Mary again.

“Alright, Miss Spellman. No need to get so agitated.” Mary shrugged her shoulders without a care in the world. Apparently that made Zelda’s blood boil in fury. She didn’t allow anyone to disrespect her like that, let alone a human teacher.

“First of all, Miss Gladstone, I am not agitated. Secondly have the decency to let your fellow conversationalist finish their sentence before you interrupt them. You are a teacher for Satan’s sake.” Zelda scolded. Mary’s eyes shined mischievously at the reaction.

“Such a spitfire!” Mary murmured. She loved that in a woman. _Finally some excitement_! Oh how nice it would have been if she could take Zelda to bed at least once. _It’s such a shame she is a witch and I have to kill her._ “Allow me to disagree, Miss Spellman. You are clearly flustered.” The teacher pointed out. Zelda stood up with a scowl and a glare all targeted at the woman in front of her. If glares could kill, Mary would have been dead by now. “Tell me one thing, Miss Spellman. Do you tend to call upon Satan a lot?” Mary let her eyes drag lazily up and down Zelda’s body.

Zelda let a small gasp escape her lips. Satan’s name had slipped from her mouth without her even noticing but of course it didn’t go unnoticed by the teacher. Not knowing what to answer, Zelda tightened her fist at her side. “Have a great day, Miss Gladstone.” The redhead walked out slamming the door behind her but not before Mary bid her goodbye.

“It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss Spellman.” Mary didn’t even flinch at the slamming. She expected it. She had to find a reason to meet with the redhead again. Getting under her skin was exhilarating.

Zelda, on the other hand, was mumbling furiously all the way to the Mortuary. The rest of her family, who were sitting around the kitchen table, eyed her curiously. Hilda was the only one who had the guts to ask her about it.

“What’s gotten you so agitated, sister?”

“I. AM. NOT. AGITATED!” Zelda snapped at her sister, sending the vase that was sending to her right flying and crashing to the opposite wall.

Hilda raised both hands in surrender. “Satan! I am sorry, I asked.”

“This teacher of yours, Sabrina, is the most aggravating person I have ever met.” She growled.

“Miss Gladstone? She is a sweetheart.” Hilda pointed out but shut up as soon as Zelda turned her glare towards her. She knew better than to annoy her sister and find herself in the Cain pit again. The redhead fled the room in anger and headed for her shower.

“I’ve never seen Aunt Zee so worked up before.” Ambrose pointed out and Sabrina nodded.

“I wonder what Miss Gladstone said to her.” Sabrina looked at the spot Zelda was standing at seconds ago.

“One thing is for certain, my dears. I’ve never seen Zelda so alive before. Do me a favor, Sabrina darling! Invite Miss Gladstone for dinner tomorrow, will ya?” Hilda smirked at Sabrina’s and Ambrose’s puzzlement but the teenage witch nodded nonetheless.

Meanwhile upstairs Zelda was thinking that she had to find a way to manage her anger better, especially around humans. As she was heading for her room, she realized she needed something to calm her down and there was only one way to do that. A warm bath with Hilda’s homemade calming oils. She lit up some candles around her bathtub and got undressed while the bathtub was filling up with water. She poured a healthy dose of oils into the bathtub before sinking into the water, feeling the anger dissipating almost instantly by leaving behind a lot of tension. She didn’t even realized when her hand slipped between her thighs or when her fingers started drawing slow circles over her clit. Only when the name “Lilith” escaped her lips and her body buzzed with bliss and satisfaction, did Zelda realize who she was picturing when driving herself over the edge. Annoyed and quite embarrassed at that, she got out of the bathtub abruptly and wrapped the towel around her wet body. “Damn it!” She murmured. With a surrendering sigh she waved her hand blowing out all the candles leaving the room in complete darkness.


	3. It's a HELL of a dinner!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's time for the anticipated dinner! Zelda's short-temper appears once more only this time it's short-lived. How did Mary manage that?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the love you are showing for this story. I have finally figured out the ending. I don't know how many chapters it will take to get there, but please stay so we can figure out together. I hope you will enjoy the third installment.
> 
> Enjoy, witches and warlocks!  
> Don't forget to leave some feedback. Did you like it? Did you hate it? Is there something in particular you want to see happening in the next chapters? Let me know!
> 
> P.S. Sorry for any grammatical or other mistakes. English is not my first language so I am doing the best I can.

The knock on the door startled the brunette, causing her to jump a little behind her desk. Lately Mary was being caught off guard quite a lot since she kept traveling in her thoughts. She needed to pay attention to her surroundings more, be on edge and always alarmed but she seemed to be getting a bit too comfortable into her role from time to time.

Even though she kept whining about her clothes and about the teenagers, sometimes she imagined how her life would be if she wasn’t constantly in the hunting game. She wouldn’t mind a real family or a stable home and a safe job. Ever since she saw her parents bodies laying in a pool of blood, both her innocence and her childhood dreams had disappeared; and even if a few traces had stayed behind those nuns made sure to get rid of them. In fact those thoughts had disappeared completely until she found herself settling in Greendale.

The second knock brought her back again realizing that she got lost in thought again. She needed to get back on the game and push the thoughts at the back of her mind. She had a job to finish.

“Come in!” she called out watching the door opening and a beaming Sabrina walking in without a care in the world. “You are still here, Sabrina? If I didn’t know you any better, I would think that you were up to something.” she asked with a raised eyebrow. She checked the clock surprised and realized that it was a little after four.

“Yes, Miss Gladstone. I was spending some time in the library with my friends.” She chuckled and took a seat in the seat Zelda had occupied the day before. “Actually, I am glad I caught you. I just remembered that I was supposed to invite you to dinner.” The blonde smiled sheepishly. “I know it is last minute and I only have myself to blame. Please say that you will come. Aunt Hilda will kill me if she finds out I forgot. Please, please!” she begged the brunette looking at her through puppy eyes.

If Mary hadn’t had such a good poker face, she would have trouble keeping her eyes from rolling. The opportunity was being served to her on silver platter. Mary would be an idiot if she denied the open invitation to the witches’ house. She was looking for a way to infiltrate that house for almost two years. A thought that they might have realized what she was, was nagging at the back of her mind. What if they discovered her and they wanted to gang up on her. She looked at Sabrina’s eyes for a moment. Yeah discovering her was out of question. The girl was a great student but she was certainly a horrid actress. Her ears and eyes were still bleeding after the blonde’s audition for the school play the year before.

“I am really flattered by the invitation, my dear, but why the sudden interest in inviting your teacher?” she tilted her head curiously.

The blonde blushed a bit at that. “Well you’ve helped me a lot and all the girls the year before and my aunts and I want to do something to repay you for that help. Not to mention that you are my favorite teacher.”

“Your aunts? Even Zelda? Because if I remember correctly we didn’t really see eye to eye yesterday.” Lilith crossed her arms in front of her chest staring intently at Sabrina’s face.

“I figured as much. Not a lot of people can get under aunt Zee’s skin easily.” The blonde shrugged chuckling a bit. “But yeah. The invitation came from both of them. Aunt Zee probably wants to make up for yesterday.”

And there it was. The lie. Mary spotted it as soon as it left the young blonde’s lips. From the few seconds she actually met Zelda, she knew that the redhead was too proud to admit something like that, let alone offer the teacher an olive branch. The girl was planning something and her aunts, or at least Zelda, had no clue whatsoever.

Nevertheless, the opportunity to dig a little deeper was too great not to be snatched immediately. Not to mention that she had the chance to annoy and flirt with Zelda. She certainly couldn’t pass that up.

So she let her lips turn into an ecstatic smile. “It would be my pleasure. Would 7 o’clock be appropriate?”

“Fantastic! Yes, that would be perfect. I’ll see you then, Miss Gladstone.” Sabrina jumped up as if she was struck with an electric cable.

“Thank you for the invitation, my dear. I’ll see you tonight.” Mary nodded and watched as Sabrina bid her goodbye and walked out of her office.

She waited for a few minutes to make sure that Sabrina left and called Mother Superior. She preferred not to report back to her and work on her own but for some reason, the old nun was a bit too invested in the whole thing. Mary had a few suspicions because of the pressure the nun was applying on her to get the job done so she only gave her the minimum information she acquired. So during the phone call she informed her about the dinner but she left the part of trying to woo Zelda out of it. She knew the redhead was her way into the coven, she could feel it in her bones. Her little plan was forming quite nicely into her head and she couldn’t help the small excitement that was bubbling into her chest.

As soon as the phone call was over, she gathered her things and drove home. She had to get ready for the special dinner and her plan, meaning that she needed to change her style a little bit. Just enough to be able to draw Zelda’s attention more successfully than Lilith’s style would be able to do. She had the perfect dress in mind for that purpose.

The witch huntress spent an hour in her bathtub relaxing and going over her plan. If everything went according to it, she would have Zelda in her bed in a mere week and the coven dead at her feet in a month. It was a flawless plan. What could even go wrong?

With a satisfied smirk, Mary moved out of the bath and got dressed. She slipped into a black/red dress which hugged her curves so perfectly that it looked like a second skin. She let her hair down for once, letting them cascade over her shoulders and upper back in soft waves. Finally she applied her make-up in a way that made her blue eyes pop playfully and her lips look as if they were drenched in blood. She was dressed to kill. She was dressed to kill Zelda to be exact.

After a final look on the mirror, the brunette grabbed her leather trench coat and walked out of the door. On her way to the Mortuary she made a short stop to buy one of the finest bottles of red wine. She even considered buying Zelda some flowers as an apology but were was the fun in that? Her plan to woo the redhead wasn’t flowers, chocolates or romance at all. It was the exact opposite; getting under her skin and making her furious. That would work better on Zelda than any other romantic crap. The woman obviously needed a good challenge and that was what Mary was planning to give her.

A few moments later, Mary found herself standing outside of the door. She rang the bell and waited patiently for one of the witches to open the door.

When the door opened to reveal Zelda’s shocked face, Mary found her insides shaking with excitement. She watched how the redhead looked her up and down in surprise. If someone was observant, they could easily see the lust deep into those sparkling green eyes. Luckily for Mary, being observant was her job.

“Miss Gladstone, what are you doing here?” Zelda exclaimed after a few minutes of trying to figure out how to speak.

“Good evening, Miss Spellman. I believe I was invited?” Mary tilted her head. “In fact Sabrina told me that the invite came from both you and Hilda.” She didn’t even hesitate to throw Sabrina under the bus. She knew that it would only anger the woman even more to know that her niece and sister went behind her back.

Zelda turned around and walked towards the staircase furiously. “SABRINA SPELLMAN! Get your butt down here, NOW!” the redhead yelled.

“Lilith! Welcome, welcome!” Hilda, who heard the commotion and came running, greeted the teacher with a kind smile. “Come in, love. Sorry about my sister. She can be quite short-tempered at times.”

Zelda turned to glare at her sister just as Mary walked inside. “I don’t blame her, my dear. I doubt that she want me in her house after starting off in the wrong foot yesterday.” Mary had the audacity to chuckle and look at Zelda as she said that.

Hilda took her coat and Mary offered the wine to her. “Thank you for the invitation by the way. That was really kind of you.”

“Nonsense.” Hilda waved her off and led her to the dining room. Mary took a seat at the table after being introduced to a young man who was sitting at her left side. On first sight, he seemed witty and decent enough for a man. He seemed likable enough, especially when she noticed his amused smile at the not-at-all quiet argument between Sabrina, Hilda and Zelda that was taking place in the next room.

Mary could only make out a few words but it was enough for her smile to match Ambrose’s.

“I can’t believe you went behind my back to invite this insufferable woman.” Was one of the things Mary was able to hear even though Ambrose was trying to mask it with his fake coughs. It was actually sweet how he tried to protect the family’s pride and decency.

“Go, enjoy your dinner. I am not hungry.” Was the second thing Mary heard. She was quite shocked by Zelda’s extreme reaction. She expected her to be more in control of herself and her emotions. Not that she minded it one bit.

Both Mary and Ambrose jumped a bit at Hilda’s loud voice echoing all over the house. “You go sit your ass down, Zelda Spellman, or I will force you too. Stop embarrassing us in front of our guest!”

Mary always considered Hilda as a soft marshmallow others took advantage off. It came as quite a surprise that she was anything but that.

The three women walked in the room, Sabrina buzzing with excitement to see her teacher, Zelda with a scowl like a scolded child and Hilda full of smiles as if she hadn’t only just yelled at her sister seconds ago. Hilda proceeded to serve the food in plates and Sabrina placed them on the table. The young blonde, her cousin and Hilda kept the conversation flowing while Mary offered her opinion whenever it was asked of her. Zelda, on the other hand, kept staring at her food the whole time; she only looked or mostly stared at Mary once and that was the moment Hilda asked about Lilith’s fiancé.

“So Lilith, Sabrina told me that you are engaged. Congratulations are in order I suppose.” Damn, Mary had completely forgotten about that detail. She couldn’t continue flirting with Zelda with an engagement hanging over her head. She had to rectify that mistake.

“I am afraid that I have already closed that chapter of my life.” She stated with a soft smile.

“Oh?” four sets of eyes turned to look at the brunette. Who didn’t want some gossip in their life after all?

“He was always away on business and it wasn’t exactly ideal for me.” The teacher shrugged and turned to Zelda. “Not to mention that I recently realized that I am more interested in the fairer sex.” She added with a playful smirk. Ambrose choked a bit on his food and Zelda blushed turning almost as bright as her hair.

“That’s interesting.” Zelda breathed and cleared her throat. “If you’ll excuse me, I need some air.” She excused herself walking hurriedly outside and grabbing her cigarettes on the way. The rest of the family and their guest stared at her retreating back. Sabrina offered some water to her cousin who was still trying to recover from the choking incident but Hilda was staring at Mary like a hawk.

With a clear of her throat, the brunette stood up. “I think I should patch things up with your sister now that she seems to be in a better mood. Excuse me.” Mary explained but she didn’t wait to listen to Hilda’s answer. When she was about to go outside, she put on her coat and grabbed what she could only assume was Zelda’s coat.

Upon hearing the door opening, Zelda didn’t even turn around. “Hilda, I am in no mood for any conversation right now.” She sighed and freed the smoke from her lungs.

“That’s too bad.” Mary spoke up, causing Zelda to turn abruptly and look at her. “Because I was hoping that it was going to be a good opportunity to work some things out.” She offered with a smile.

Zelda let her eyes roam over the gorgeous teacher in front of her, scolding herself for finding the woman desirable even a little bit. Mary raised her hands showing the coat to the redhead. “I thought you might be cold.” She offered as an excuse and opened the coat so the redhead could slip in it.

“Well, I am not.” Zelda said stubbornly.

“Come on. Just humor me for a bit.” The brunette pressed and watched Zelda contemplating her request. She was expecting the redhead to argue but to her surprise she gave in almost immediately.

“Okay fine.” Mary’s satisfied smirk was getting on Zelda’s nerves but she turned around nonetheless allowing the woman to help her out with the coat. When she turned back around, Mary got into her personal space, pulled the red locks out of the coat with her hand, then put some space between them again.

“There. All set.” She smiled softly. “I am sorry about yesterday. I didn’t mean to offend you. I was just joking around.”

Mary noticed Zelda’s calculating gaze and waited patiently for how the redhead was going to react to that. To her surprise, the redhead let her shoulders fall almost immediately. “It’s alright. I may have overreacted a bit.” With a sigh she flicked her cigarette to the ground and stepped on it, putting it out. “I suppose we should go for a do-over. For Sabrina’s sake.” Zelda offered her hand, but she definitely used Sabrina only as an excuse.

Mary saw through that obviously but didn’t say it out loud. “For Sabrina’s sake, among other things. Maybe over coffee some time.” The teacher saw the opportunity and grabbed it by the hair. She pushed Zelda’s hand away and entered her personal space again. She kissed her cheek softly which only made Zelda stand there frozen. “It’s getting late. I should get going.” She took a step back. “Please thank your sister for the lovely dinner. Goodnight, Miss Spellman.” She smiled and turned to leave only to be stopped by Zelda’s soft voice. “Zelda.” The redhead said simply.

“Goodnight, Zelda.” Mary murmured with a smirk not turning around. Zelda watched her getting into her car and driving away. Only when the tail lights disappeared did Zelda walk back inside. Ambrose was the first to notice her and offered her a sly smirk. “What are you staring at?” Zelda snapped at him irritably. “Oh nothing. You just have a little something on your cheek.” He left the dining room immediately laughing loudly. Sabrina barely had time to hide her own smile behind her tea cup while Hilda turned back to the sink to hide her amusement.

Zelda turned to the mirror behind her to look at her cheek, only now noticing the bright red lip stain on her cheek. “Damn that woman!” she murmured and rubbed furiously at the spot.


	4. How to drive a witch crazy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary ignores Zelda just because...   
> But how do they end up watching a movie together?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the love you are showing to this fanfic, guys. I really appreaciate it. I hope you enjoy the new chapter.

Get the witch’s attention: Check

Express your somewhat attraction to her: Check

Establish the tiniest form of physical interaction: Check

The first phase of Mary’s plan was complete. The bait was set and the fish was almost hooked. She wasn’t going to do much for the second phase. The only thing she needed to do with her witch was to bump into her and completely ignore her. Having already psychoanalyzed the witch’s behavior, she knew that being ignored by the person who spent two days getting under your skin would only drive the redhead crazy.

Her only problem was where she was going to bump into Zelda. It took Mary two whole years to actually meet the redhead since she wasn’t as involved with the mortal world as the rest of her family. Mary racked her brain but was unable to come up with a solution. Almost a week had passed and she still didn’t have an answer.

When Friday came along, Mary was obsessed beyond words. Even classes couldn’t get her mind of off it. After all of her classes were over she walked around the corridors aimlessly and thinking about it. She wanted to see that damn redhead again. _I need to make my next move after all._ Or at least that’s the reason she gave herself over and over again.

Mary passed by the library and walked inside, hoping that a book would manage to get the woman out of her mind for a while. The first thing she noticed was Sabrina and her gang sitting around the table discussing and laughing. Thankfully Sabrina didn’t notice her. Since she wasn’t in a mood to entertain the talkative blonde, she quickly ducked into an aisle. While she was browsing through the shelves, Mary kept her ears open in case Sabrina said anything of importance.

An hour later she still hadn’t found anything interesting to read nor did Sabrina provide her with any information. Ready to give up and return home, she heard Sabrina mentioning that she had plans with her aunt Zelda in an hour. Her ears immediately perked up and listened closely. Apparently the girl had convinced the redhead to go to the movies with her because they didn’t do anything together anymore. _Sentimental teenagers._ Mary rolled her eyes. The moment that Sabrina mentioned that her aunt will be waiting for her at Dr Cee’s, Mary fled the library.

She had an hour to get to Dr Cee’s before Sabrina. She didn’t know if Zelda would be already there but she had hope. She passed by her office grabbing her coat, her keys and a book about the history of Greendale which she was gonna use to ignore Zelda, if she was there.

A few minutes later, Mary was standing outside of Dr Cee’s. She risked a quick glance inside and she noticed the redhead sitting on a booth nursing a steaming mug. Thankfully, Zelda had her back turned to the window and was unable to see her but Mary would recognize that ginger head everywhere. She thanked her lucky stars for choosing the skirt that showed off her perky ass and pushed the door open. She passed by Zelda’s booth not sparing her a glance and made her way to the counter.

“Hilda, darling!” she exclaimed loudly enough for Zelda to hear. “How are you?”

Hilda was a bit thrown back by Lilith’s excitement which became clear on her startled face. Nonetheless, the chubby witch greeted her with a smile. “I am good. How about you, love?”

“Happy to be out of school.” Mary chuckled. “I am ready for a relaxing weekend finally. As much as I love teaching, teenagers are a handful at times. It’s nice to be away from them for a while.”

Hilda nodded with a mischievous smile. “Tell me about it.” She had her own teenagers to deal with at home. “May I get you something or are you just passing by?”

“Oh yes. I’ll just relax here for a bit. I am gonna go see a movie afterwards.”

“You, too? Zelda is taking Sabrina there in hour.” Mary tried to hide her smirk. Zelda was the only reason the teacher was going to the cinema after all.

“How sweet of her! I guess I’ll probably bump into them.”

“Possibly. So what would you like?”

“Hmm I definitely have an urge for something… ginger. It is after all my favorite color.” Mary winked at Hilda making her laugh.

“I have just the thing for your ginger cravings, Lilith.” Hilda turned her back to prepare Lilith’s peach/orange/strawberry milkshake. A few minutes later she placed the tall glass on the counter. “Enjoy, it’s on the house.” Hilda winked at her.

Mary thanked her and moved to a booth with her drink in hand. She chose the booth against the far corner. She took a seat, knowing that if she looked up, her gaze would definitely meet Zelda’s. The teacher could already feel the witch’s eyes on her so she made sure to keep her expressions in check. She wrapped her lips around the straw and took a hearty sip feeling the cold beverage slide down her throat. A soft barely audible moan escaped her lips. A moan that Zelda definitely heard based on the small gasp that was heard from her direction. Mary fought hard to stop herself from smiling with satisfaction.

She pulled the book out and opened it pretending to read. She could hear Zelda fidgeting, moving her mug, sighing, coughing, doing anything to get her attention but Mary remained “engrossed” in her book. If she looked up, she would definitely see the mad look in Zelda’s eyes. It was almost too easy. She could feel the heated gaze on her and she had to restrain herself from going to the witch, dragging her to her house and having her way with her.

By the time Sabrina came into the shop, Mary had already finished her drink and Zelda’s blood was boiling furiously into her veins. Zelda had a suspicion that the woman was toying with her by ignoring her so she tried to keep her anger in check and keep herself from going there to greet her. She wouldn’t give her the satisfaction; she was too stubborn for that.

Mary unpinned her tight bun and shook her head letting her hair come loose, knowing that it would drive the ginger crazy. She kept wrapping a lock around her finger with the most innocent expression on her face and Zelda couldn’t tear her gaze away. The redhead thanked Satan when Sabrina finally arrived, especially since the teacher started biting on her straw playfully. The girl went to Zelda’s booth and noticed Mary a few booths away.

“Oh hello, Miss Gladstone!” she exclaimed happily.

Mary moved her head slowly looking straight at Zelda and her red cheeks with a smirk, and then turned to the blonde, her smirk changing into a soft smile. “Hello Sabrina.” She greeted the girl leaving her book on the seat next to her.

“I didn’t expect to see you here.” The girl stated. It took a lot of strength for Mary not to roll her eyes at how daft Sabrina was being.

“Instead of driving all the way home, I decided to spend an hour here until the movie starts.” She explained patiently, waiting for Sabrina’s suggestion before it came.

“You are going to the movies? Why don’t you come with us? We are going too.” Sabrina suggested excited to spend time with her aunt and her favorite teacher. She might have an ulterior motive after seeing that lip stain on her aunt’s cheek a week ago but who would have guessed that?

“Oh no, no! I don’t want to intrude.” The teacher said politely and chanced a glance at the redhead attempting to figure out what she was thinking, but Zelda’s poker face was firmly in place.

“You won’t intrude and I am sure my aunt doesn’t mind. Isn’t that right, aunty Zee?” the girl turned her famous puppy eyes to Zelda. She was ruthless; Mary could at least give her that. No one denied anything to the young Spellman when the puppy eyes were in effect.

“Of course. You’re welcome to join us, Miss Gladstone.” Zelda sighed unable to say no to the girl. She convinced herself that she was only doing it for her niece. She didn’t have any other reason to want the woman to join them after all, right?

Mary gathered her coat and handbag and walked to their booth leaving her book behind. “Shall we then?” she smiled politely at her student. She turned her eyes at Zelda who was still sitting. When she stood up, Mary let her eyes wander up and down the witch’s body. The lust was evident in her gaze but she didn’t even try to mask it. Zelda cleared her throat and tried to pretend that she didn’t notice. All three of them waved Hilda goodbye and exited the shop. Sabrina was walking in the front excitedly and without a care in the world, leaving the two women behind.

“If you don’t want me to come, you can say so. I’ll come up with an excuse for Sabrina.” Mary murmured not looking at Zelda.

“It doesn’t bother me. In fact I thought you wouldn’t want to join us, seeing that you didn’t even greet me at Dr Cerberus’ today.” Zelda raised her chin, still annoyed by Mary’s behavior earlier. Mary was honestly surprised that Zelda brought it up. She thought that the woman was too proud to admit her feelings for something like that.

“I didn’t do it on purpose. I thought you might need some space.” Mary shrugged.

“If I remember correctly you are the one who proposed to start over. Is the cold shoulder how you start over?” Zelda scoffed.

“Excuse me but I didn’t hear you greeting me either. I am not the only one at fault here. Yes, I did ask you to start fresh but I didn’t see you taking a step towards it, my dear Zelda. So if your pride holds you back, I don’t see how I can change that.” Mary couldn’t believe that she actually backed Zelda to a corner and left her speechless. That was definitely a first and the brunette teacher relished in that feeling.

Zelda walked in silent fuming knowing that the brunette was right on that. She couldn’t counter her words and it drove her crazy. For once again the woman managed to get under her skin. _Why is so insufferable?_ Zelda scowled. Mary held the door open for her. “Thank you.” The redhead murmured as she passed through it.

“That’s how you swallow your pride and do the right thing.” Mary smirked triumphantly leaving Zelda gaping at her like a fish again, wondering how Mary could be charming and infuriating at the same time. Her hands itched to catch a spell on her just so she could shut her up but she managed to swallow the urge.

She stood behind watching the other woman closely while Sabrina asked for her teacher’s attention with a discussion about the movie they were about to watch. When she caught up to them, they had both taken their seats and to her horror, the teacher was the one that chose to sit in the middle. She had a feeling that was not going to end well.

With a quick glance at Lilith’s face and her mischievous smile, Zelda knew that she was gonna regret agreeing to all of this. She took her seat and tried to keep her distance from the woman as much as possible. Unfortunately for Zelda, Lilith had other plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving you like this. I promise to make it up to you :D  
> So what do you think Mary is planning to do during the movie?  
> Let me know in the comments!


	5. How to drive a witch crazy vol.2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary tortures Zelda during the movie. Sabrina teases Zelda. Zelda visits Mary late at night demanding answers!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I want to thank you all so much for leaving kudos and comments. You will be happy to know that I have figured out what I am going to write for the next chapters. I've decided that the story will be finished in a total of 15 chapters.
> 
> Thank you so much for sticking to this story! You have no idea how grateful I am!
> 
> Enjoy the newest chapter! Love you all <3

While the trailers were rolling, Mary stayed unmoving with her eyes on the screen. Zelda was thinking that perhaps the teacher wouldn’t bother her during the movie so she felt her shoulder relax. She leaned back to her seat but kept her hands on her lap since Mary’s arm was occupying the armrest to her left. What the redhead didn’t know was that Mary was planning to work her charms on Zelda the moment the witch got comfortable and relaxed.

Five minutes into the movie, Mary leaned on her elbow and rested her head on her hand almost touching Zelda’s shoulder. Zelda turned to look at her but Mary appeared to be engrossed on the movie. The teacher’s perfume hit Zelda hard every time the woman moved or came closer. It was driving the witch crazy and even a little bit aroused. _“Stop it, Zelda. You are not attracted to her.”_ Zelda scolded herself and leaned away from the teacher a little bit.

If she was being honest even if Sabrina was sitting between them the distance wouldn’t be enough for Zelda. The mere hint of Mary’s perfume could distract the witch with ease. Agreeing to this had been a stupid mistake. Ten minutes into the movie, Zelda finally managed to ignore the teacher, who sat unmoving and watching the movie.

Out of nowhere Zelda jumped at the whisper near her ear. “I didn’t peg you for the kind of woman who’d enjoy horror films, Zelda.”

The way Mary whispered her name almost breathlessly made Zelda clench her thighs a bit. She turned abruptly to look at the teacher coming nose to nose with her. “You would be surprised what I find enjoyable, Miss Gladstone.” _For the love of Satan, am I flirting with her?_

“Oh, I am intrigued to find out.” Mary smiled coyly but didn’t back down from the face-off. Zelda, on the other hand, found herself blushing and turned her head back to the screen fidgeting and clearing her throat. If Mary wasn’t playing her role she would have laughed at the fact that Zelda was so worked up.

Another five minutes later and Mary was still staring at Zelda even though the witch pretended that she wasn’t noticing. _What the hell is she doing? Why is staring at me?_ Zelda started fidgeting again until she had enough of her staring.

“What, Lilith? What do you want?” She whispered/ snapped at the brunette.

“Nothing, my dear. I am simply admiring how beautiful you are.” Mary gave her a flirty smile. She was enjoying this game way more than she let on.

“Well stop, I am trying to watch the movie and you keep distracting me.” Zelda snapped her attention back at the screen from what seemed like the hundredth time. Her cheeks didn’t lose the rosy blush for the remainder of the movie; not when the compliment was replaying into her mind over and over again.

“I am sorry. I won’t bother you again.” Mary faked a frown and straightened on her seat turning her eyes to the screen. She didn’t talk to Zelda again for about 30 minutes. Yes, she did keep track of each minute. Her frown was used as a guilt weapon after all. She knew the redhead would eventually crack.

In fact, the witch noticed both the frown and the distance Mary put between them and she couldn’t figure out why it was bothering her so much. With the corner of her eye, she noticed that the teacher’s hand was still on the armrest. Since Zelda was having a hard time apologizing, she had a fleeting thought of attempting physical contact to show the brunette that she didn’t mean to snap at her. Nevertheless, she found the thought ridiculous and turned her attention to the movie pushing all thoughts of the brunette at the back of her mind.

In the thirty minutes that Mary didn’t disturb her, Zelda managed to get lost into the movie. She was so focused into it that she jumped high into her seat from the jump scare on the screen. She didn’t even realize that her hand had landed on Mary’s hand and gripped it as if her life depended on it.

She snapped her attention to the intertwined hands the moment Mary turned her palm around and gripped Zelda’s hand in hers. Zelda’s face turned the color of her hair in an instant but for some reason she didn’t pull her hand away. She was too shocked to even blink. Mary, on the other hand, other than stroking Zelda’s hand, she didn’t appear to pay any attention to the witch. You see, the witch huntress knew that the moment she mentioned it or teased Zelda about it, Zelda would withdraw into herself and Mary didn’t want that.

For the rest of the movie, neither Zelda nor Mary moved their hands. In fact, every time Zelda got startled she gripped onto Mary’s hand while Mary caressed her hand until she relaxed again. It was as if both women were into their own little world where Zelda allowed herself a small amount of intimacy and Mary marveled into it.

The moment the lights were turned on, Zelda pulled away almost immediately. Mary didn’t comment on it nor did anything to make the redhead fill uncomfortable. That, of course, didn’t mean that Sabrina hadn’t noticed the hand holding.

All three of them stood up and followed the crowd outside. Sabrina walked next to Mary and the two discussed the movie while Zelda walked by their side quietly. She chanced a few glances towards the brunette but the other woman was oblivious.

“I am afraid I have to get back home now. I have a lot of grading to do.” Mary apologized as soon as they exited the cinema. “Thank you for inviting me along, ladies.” She smiled politely. “Ooof!” she exclaimed when she felt Sabrina’s abrupt hug. That girl was addicted into invading personal space apparently. Keeping up appearances, Mary hugged the small girl back.

“Thanks for coming, Miss Gladstone! We should do it again some time.” The girl pulled back with a happy smile on her face.

“Certainly.” Mary smiled and looked at Zelda. “Won’t I get a hug from the older Spellman?” she teased her. Sabrina hid her smirk and looked away.

Zelda stuttered and blushed for a moment. “Absolutely not.” She scoffed raising her chin a bit.

“That’s okay. I’ll settle for a kiss.” In a swift motion, Mary’s lips landed on Zelda’s cheek. “Goodnight, ladies.” Mary winked at Sabrina, who couldn’t help but giggle, and walked away.

Zelda stared after her until she was able to snap out of it. “Let’s go home, Sabrina.” She cleared her throat and didn’t even dare to look at her niece. Sabrina followed Zelda to her car quietly.

Of course Sabrina’s silence only lasted until they were both in the car and driving home. “So, auntie, do you like my teacher?” she asked out of the blue struggling to keep a straight face.

“She is tolerable, I guess.” Zelda shrugged. _The hell she is. She is the devil incarnate._

“You misunderstood me, aunt Zee. I meant if you like like her.”

“I don’t understand what you are asking here, Sabrina.” Zelda pretended that she had no idea what her niece was asking. She prayed that she would drop the subject for the sake of them both.

Sabrina stared at her aunt with the most serious expression she could master. “Aunt Zee, do you fancy Miss Gladstone?”

Zelda gripped the wheel and cleared her throat. “Don’t be absurd, Sabrina. What even gave you that idea?” the old witch could feel the blush rising to her cheeks and she hoped that Sabrina would stop staring at her.

“Oh I don’t know. She seems to fancy you a lot.” The blonde shrugged. “I thought it would be cute.”

“Well, she doesn’t! Drop this nonsense now.” Zelda snapped at her niece.

“Okay, okay. Don’t get upset. I was just making conversation.” Sabrina raised her hands defensibly. “So what did you think about the movie?”

The rest of the trip to the Mortuary passed with the two of them discussing the movie they had watched. Or at least Sabrina pointing the parts she liked and Zelda trying to remember details from the movie she only half watched; but mostly remembering the feeling of Mary’s hand in hers and ignoring the fluttering of her stomach.

* * *

During dinner at the Mortuary, Zelda ate in silence while Sabrina chatted away with Hilda and Ambrose. Zelda’s mind was stuck to the moment between the two women during the movie. She could not take it out of her mind no matter how hard she tried. Okay, okay. She didn’t try at all but she had the right to daydream. Everyone did every now and then.

She couldn’t forget how warm and soft Mary’s hand was or how soft her lips against her cheek had been. She had to do something about all of the feelings she was having ever since she met that blasted woman. She had to put a stop to this. She had an entire coven and her family to take care of. She didn’t have time to play house with anyone.

“Lilith’s book.” Hilda said.

“What?” Zelda’s head snapped up at the mention of the teacher’s name.

Three set of eyes turned to look at her. “I was saying to Sabrina that Lilith forgot her book at the bookstore today and I asked her to give it back to her the next time she sees her. Are you okay?” Hilda leaned towards her sister a little bit. “What were you thinking?”

“N-nothing. I remembered something I need to do back at the Academy. Carry on.” Zelda waved her hand hoping that they would continue with their discussion and leave her to her thoughts.

The book was a good excuse to talk to the teacher and ask her to stop whatever she was doing or at least figure out what she was trying to achieve.

It was settled then. Zelda would be the one delivering the book herself.

When Sabrina and Ambrose finally retired for the night and Hilda was busy in the kitchen, Zelda sneaked into the living room and retrieved the book. She slipped into her coat and tiptoed towards the front door.

“Zelds! Where are you going?” Hilda stood a few steps behind her with her hands on her waist.

Zelda’s eyes widened in alarm. She slipped the book into her coat and turned around to look at her sister like a deer caught in headlights. “Ehm- I- I need to take care of something back at the Academy.”

“In the middle of the night?” Hilda raised an eyebrow clearly not convinced.

“Yes in the middle of the night. Being a Directrix doesn’t come with breaks. I’ll see you later.” Zelda huffed annoyed at her sister’s curiosity. She closed the door behind her and headed to her car.

“Who the hell does she think she is fooling?” Hilda rolled her eyes knowingly the moment she noticed the missing book.

* * *

At Mary’s cottage, the teacher was enjoying her second glass of whiskey near the fireplace. She was thinking of Zelda the moment the abrupt knock on the door came. Her eyebrows rose in confusion. She left her glass on the table and moved to open the door.

A flirty smile spread on her lips when she saw who was at the other side of her door. “Zelda darling, to what do I owe this pleasure?”

“I need to talk to you.”

“Cutting to the chase, I see. Please come in.” she smiled and opened the door wider. Her eyes scanned the woman’s body while she made her way inside. “Could I get you anything?” Mary led her to the living room and waved at the other arm chair.

“No. I am not staying.” Zelda declined and pushed the book in Mary’s hands. “You forgot that back at the bookstore earlier.” She tried to keep the distance between the two. Being closer than necessary while in a private room would be very very dangerous.

Mary nodded and placed the book on the table next to the whiskey. Since Zelda didn’t sit, Mary stayed standing as well. “Is this all you wanted?” she tilted her head.

“No. There is one more thing.” Zelda cleared her throat. “What are you trying to achieve with all of this flirting? What’s your purpose here?” Zelda was eyeing her suspiciously and Mary wanted to laugh at Zelda’s overreaction.

“I don’t know, Zelda. Why do people flirt in the first place?” Mary rolled her eyes. Either Zelda was being too stupid or simply oblivious. No, Zelda was too smart for any of the choices to be true. And then it hit her. Zelda was probably scared to open up to the possibility of a relationship. It wouldn’t be a real relationship for Mary, yes, but Zelda didn’t know that. So this could be the reason she was holding back.

“Because they want to gain something from the other person?” Zelda shrugged. She had dealt with a lot of people who only flirted because of that; one of them being that idiot of an ex High Priest, Faustus. She couldn’t be more relieved that the misogynist pig was killed by the hand of his own daughter.

“Who the hell did so much damage to you that you would think that the only reason behind flirting would be that?” Mary shook her head. She actually felt a little bad for doing the same thing Zelda accused her off but that wasn’t the time to feel guilty.

Zelda bit her lip looking at the ground for a moment choosing not to answer the question. “Let me make this clear, my dear.” Mary took a step closer invading the woman’s personal space and Zelda’s head snapped up. “I am flirting with you because I like you. I am attracted to you. You are a strong attractive independent woman that I feel attracted to.” Mary confessed staring straight into her eyes.

“What?” was the only word that came out of Zelda’s mouth.

“Oh for the love of God!” Mary rolled her eyes and grabbed Zelda’s face, locking their lips together in a heated kiss. One of Mary’s hands slid at the back of Zelda’s neck while the other slipped through her hair.

Zelda gasped in shock at the sudden kiss but mere seconds later her eyes fluttered close. She reciprocated the kiss with the same intensity. Her arms wrapped themselves around Mary’s small waist keeping her in place. Slowly she raised her hand at the woman’s back pushing her closer. Both women had lost track of time during the kiss.

When the old clock at the far wall struck 12, Zelda jumped away from the teacher, her hand coming up to her swollen lips only then realizing what happened.

“I-I have to go.” Zelda murmured almost running out of the door.

“Zelda, wait!” Mary called after her but Zelda was already gone. “Damn it.” Mary sighed breathlessly. _That was one hell of a kiss!_ Mary touched her own lips with a small smile on her lips.

“You will be back, Zelda Spellman. Just you wait.” She smirked, sitting back at her armchair and taking the glass of whiskey in her hand. She leaned her head back and closed her eyes replaying the kiss. “You will be back.”


	6. One step at a time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda avoids Mary like the plague. Hilda scolds her older sister for once. Zelda struggles with her past fears while Mary is dealing with strange feelings she hadn't felt before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So a new chapter has just arrived. I hope I am not disappointing you so far.  
> You have no idea how grateful I am for all the kudos and comments! Thank you so much guys. Each and every one of them makes me so happy! Thank you for the love you are showing to this story.  
> Enjoy the newest chapter! Only 9 more to go!  
> Love you all <3

“Mary, my patience is running thin. You have been tasked with this mission and I still have not seen a single result.”

“It wasn’t the easiest task. I’ve-”

“You are supposed to be the best witch huntress in our ranks. Get a move on. Annihilate the coven so we can move to our next target. Start with their High Priestess. Am I making myself clear?” Mother Superior snapped at her.

“Yes, Mother.” Mary mumbled through gritted teeth trying to hide her anger. “Bugger off, you old hag.” She snapped when Mother Superior hung up on her. She was doing her best with getting close to Zelda but after that kiss, the woman disappeared as if she had fallen off the Earth. She spent her whole weekend at Dr Cee’s in case she bumped into her and she even popped by the Mortuary for some tea with Hilda but Zelda was nowhere to be found. According to Hilda, Zelda was away on business which meant one of two things. Either Zelda was hiding away in the house somewhere or she was busy at the Academy. Either way Mary couldn’t get close to her.

Zelda was avoiding her on purpose. That much was obvious. She couldn’t understand what she was so scared of. The witch was obviously attracted to her; no one kissed someone the way Zelda kissed Mary if they didn’t feel at least something. Mary didn’t know anything about love and relationships but that didn’t mean she didn’t know attraction. She had used it as a weapon all the time in her job.

Mary understood what she had to do to pull Zelda back in her arms. “You won’t get rid of me so easily, Zelda Spellman.” She smirked running her fingers over the blade of her dagger while the plan was forming in her head. For once, Sabrina might be proved useful for her plan. Mary was the only teacher Sabrina was close to and that was only because Mary allowed it in case Sabrina could be of help.

During the next week, Mary changed Lilith’s whole demeanor. Gone was the cheery, sweet teacher who enjoyed her classes and talked to her students, especially Sabrina. Instead Mary had turned bitter; she barely greeted Sabrina when the blonde stopped her for a chat. She made sure that when she was walking down the corridors, she always had her head down with the saddest expression in her eyes. Her teaching methods had become dull. She simply made the students read and she was always focused to the lesson. She wasn’t trying to entertain the teenagers with her teaching and she always appeared as if something was bothering her. Sabrina was bound to notice that something was up with her teacher eventually. Mary could only hope that the girl would say something to her aunts or somehow it will reach Zelda’s ears.

* * *

Mary was right. Zelda was indeed avoiding her. The redhead had freaked out completely after the kiss. She hadn’t been close to a mortal in years, if not decades; let alone have feelings for one. She didn’t know how to handle it but she caught herself thinking back to that kiss constantly. The way her whole body was on fire was something she hadn’t felt in a long long time.

Faustus hadn’t even managed to make her feel half of what Lilith had achieved. And they had done a lot more with him than a simply kiss. She shuddered, thinking about that blasted man. _What the hell was I thinking?_

But she knew why she did it. She wanted his power, the power over the whole coven. She was so glad that she escaped him before they had the chance to get married. She wasn’t exactly sure what happened exactly but Blackwood had snapped or had gone mad, almost poisoning the entire coven because apparently that’s what the Dark Lord had asked of him. Truth or lie, Zelda knew that neither Blackwood nor Satan could be trusted after that…

In an act of revenge, Prudence and the other two weird sisters relieved Zelda of the burden of Blackwood. She was actually surprised when the coven chose her to ascend to the position of High Priestess. She had helped the coven heal from the betrayal of Blackwood and chose a different path for them which apparently most of them had accepted.

Zelda scoffed and pushed any thought of Blackwood at the back of her head. Her mind returned to Lilith and that breathtaking kiss. Even if she chose to pursue a relationship with the teacher and admit her feelings, how exactly was she going to explain what she was to the teacher without consequences? No. She couldn’t. She had to put some distance between them and it had to be fast.

When Hilda mentioned that the teacher was stopping by, Zelda stayed into her room and asked her sister to say that she was away on business if Lilith asked. Of course, Hilda wasn’t an idiot. She knew that something must have happened ever since she caught Zelda sneaking out but she also knew that no matter how hard she tried to get it out of her sister, it would be impossible. Zelda was the most private person she knew. The only thing the blonde could do was observe.

* * *

One day, during breakfast, Sabrina finally spoke up about what was bothering the young witch. Zelda, hidden behind her newspaper, pretended that she wasn’t listening to what Sabrina was discussing with Hilda.

“I don’t know, auntie. I am worried. Her whole demeanor has changed.” Sabrina shook her head. “All week she has been wandering around the halls during breaks, lost in her thoughts with the saddest expression on her face. I’ve never seen her like that.”

Hilda hummed stirring her tea. “Now that you mention it, she seemed a bit off when she visited during the weekend.”

“Do you think I should talk to her?” Sabrina asked with a frown on her face. “She is all alone here. I feel bad for her.”

“No, Sabrina. I doubt that she will tell you anything anyway.” Sabrina frowned a bit at that but before she had a chance to disagree, Hilda stopped her. “I’ll stop by her office later to see her. Maybe she will talk to me.” Hilda offered a smile and a pat at the young woman’s hand.

“You will do no such thing!” Zelda snapped slapping the paper on the table causing both women to jump.

“Zelda, she is my friend.” Hilda glared at her older sister but Zelda glared right back.

“No, she isn’t. If you can’t trust her enough to tell her what you are, what we all are, she is not your friend. And whatever is bothering her, it’s none of your damn business.” Zelda said with finality.

Sabrina, of course, opened her mouth to argue but Zelda cut her off. “And you young lady, you should focus on your lessons in the Academy and your mortal school instead of obsessing over your teacher. Now get to school before you are late.” She picked up her newspaper again and pretended to read it so she could create a wall between her and Sabrina.

The young witch pushed back the chair angrily and left grabbing her school bag on her way out. Hilda waited for the door to close before turning her attention back to her sister. She grabbed the newspaper from her hands earning another glare from her sister but this time she wasn’t backing down.

“Want to tell me what the heaven has gotten into you?” she asked crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“I don’t know what you mean.” Zelda raised her chin and made a move to grab the newspaper from her sister.

“Na-ah! Don’t even, Zelda. I know you better than that.” Hilda moved the newspaper away from Zelda’s reach.

“Nothing’s gotten into me, Hilda. I just don’t want her near our family. That’s all.” She shrugged and sipped her tea. “She is a mortal and we can’t trust her.”

“That’s just rubbish and we both know it. Sabrina’s friends are mortals and they know about witchcraft already. Also Dr. Cee knows about us as well. None of them tried to hurt us. Why would Mary be any different?” Hilda narrowed her eyes trying to pinpoint anything that would give away her sister’s intentions. Her sister’s poker face was firmly in place while she took a long drag from her cigarette.

Zelda looked at her sister for a moment before averting her eyes guiltily. She stubbed out her cigarette and refrained from answering. Hilda, of course, picked it up immediately.

“Zelda Phiona Spellman, what did you do?” Hilda demanded with a glare of her own.

“I haven’t done anything.” Zelda scoffed but didn’t dare to look at her sister.

“Cut the crap!” Hilda snapped and Zelda looked at her sister surprised. Hilda always refrained from swearing. The few times she did, she always blushed and looked away or she was very very angry. This time it was the second. “I know you didn’t go to the Academy the night you slipped out. Lilith’s book was gone and Sabrina asked about it the next day. I had to lie to her about it, you know. To cover for you.” Hilda shook her head disappointed. “And I am sure as hell you didn’t only go there to give her the book. Not to mention that ever since that night, you avoid Lilith and the mortal world like the plague. No matter how much you believe it, Zelda, I am not an idiot.”

“I never said you were, Hilda.” Zelda lowered her head ashamed.

“Then don’t treat me like one.” Hilda stood up and grabbed her coat. “I have to go to work now. You better fix whatever you did because Sabrina will get to the bottom of it eventually. Unfortunately, she is just as stubborn as you are.” Hilda stated before disappearing as well and leaving Zelda alone with her thoughts. For once, she was glad that Ambrose was not around to see that.

Zelda buried her face in her hands sighing. “Damn you, Hildegard.” She murmured. Of course her sister was right. She had to talk with Lilith and fix her mistake before Sabrina intervened. Listening to Sabrina talking about the state her teacher was in made her feel so guilty for storming out without an explanation. If Zelda giving her the cold shoulder had that effect on the woman, then her feelings had to be genuine. Which meant that Zelda had actually hurt the woman unintentionally first by brushing off her feelings and secondly by avoiding her like the plague.

With a final sigh, Zelda got up, her mind made up. She would pay the brunette a visit later that evening. For now she had classes to teach back at the Academy.

* * *

Once again, Mary was spending her evening in front of the fire nursing a glass of whiskey. She hadn’t had any news from Zelda which made her wonder if Sabrina had taken the bait. And if she did and had talked to her aunts why had neither of them visited yet? It was frustrating as hell to say the least. Mary eyed the dagger on the table with a soft sigh. She needed to finish her job and move on. The whole situation was stressful and neither Mother Superior nor Zelda were making it easy for her.

The knock on the door startled her. _Could it be?_ She wondered. No one had ever visited before. So it must be Zelda or Hilda. She grabbed the dagger and pushed it under the cushion on her armchair. “It’s open.” She called out waiting in anticipation but she held herself in place not turning to look at the door.

“You know, you shouldn’t leave your door unlocked.” Zelda said hoping that it would actually break the tension she knew was going to be there.

Mary turned to look at her. “Zelda.”

“Hello.” Zelda tried a smile.

“What are you doing here?” Mary asked trying to act indifferent. She turned her head back to the fireplace and away from the redhead’s gaze. A small smirk appeared on her lips.

“I- I wanted to talk to you.” Zelda cleared her throat to get rid of the nervous stutter. It pained Zelda to see Lilith so defeated. Not so much because it was her fault, but because when Lilith laughed or smiled or even pushed her buttons, no matter how much it frustrated her, she still enjoyed it. The way Lilith’s eyes brightened whenever she did those things, it took Zelda’s breath away every time.

“Took you long enough.” Mary mumbled loud enough so the witch could hear. “Although, I must say that I fail to see what there is to talk about.” Mary was risking it now. The redhead was unpredictable at times. If she pushed too hard, Zelda would either disappear or push back just as hard.

Zelda walked closer and took the other armchair, looking at Mary’s face. “Sabrina told me about school.”

“What about it?” Mary took a sip from her glass still avoiding Zelda’s gaze. Zelda leaned over the table and took the glass from her hands. “Can you look at me when I talk to you?” she asked and drank the rest of the liquid in the glass. If she was gonna explain it all, she needed at least a small amount of liquid courage in her system.

Mary turned to look at Zelda like she requested. “Zelda, I am not willing to play the game of cat and mouse with you. I can’t keep on chasing after you every time you push me away because you got scared for showing the tiniest amount of feelings.” Mary leaned over the armrest and looked into Zelda’s eyes. “I’ve expressed my feelings towards you multiply times by now so either they are one-sided or you are too scared to do anything about yours.” The brunette shrugged.

Zelda looked down at her lap and took a deep breath. “They are not one-sided.”

“Then what’s the problem? Why are you hiding away?” Mary sighed exasperated.

“I am scared, okay?” She groaned as soon as the words left her mouth.

“Of me?” Mary tilted her head intrigued.

“Yes. No. I mean not exactly. The thing is, I am in a complicated situation right now. I want to trust you, I just don’t know how.” Zelda leaned back to the armchair and closed her eyes. “I’ve went through some relationships in the past that left quite the damage behind. I just don’t know how to do this anymore.” Her voice dropped to a pained whisper when she finally admitted it.

Mary actually felt awful about what she was doing to the woman. In fact, she hated seeing her like that. She was clearly struggling with herself and all Mary had done was torture and manipulate her. Pushing her _“oh so glorious”_ plan out of her head, she stood up and walked closer to Zelda. She kneeled in front of her and took her hands into her own.

“And you think I do?” Mary smiled comfortingly. “I’ve never had a serious relationship in my life, Zelda. Trust me. I don’t know how to do this at all. Hell, I might be more clueless than you.” That might have been the only real thing Mary had ever told Zelda but the witch still looked at her unbelievingly.

“Weren’t you engaged?” she raised an eyebrow. Oh well, Mary had forgotten about that small lie. Maybe she could tell the truth about it. Maybe Zelda would understand.

“Not really. No.” she bit her lower lip. Zelda eyed her suspiciously and pulled away from her. “Before you jump into any conclusions let me explain.” Mary gripped her hands again. “I only said that because of a coworker. He was being… persistent. He kept flirting with me and asking me out. Let’s just say he didn’t take no for an answer. So I slapped an engagement ring on my finger and told him that I was engaged. It actually worked and he left me alone.”

“Men can be stupid.” Zelda smiled a little.

“Apparently.” Mary matched Zelda’s smile with ease. She was a bit shocked when she realized that it was a genuine one.

Zelda looked down at their hands with a smile between her blushing cheeks. If Mary was honest with herself, she would admit that it was the most adorable thing she had ever seen. The redhead not knowing what to say about all this stayed silent biting her lip.

“Okay. How about this?” Mary pulled Zelda’s hands closer. “We take this one step at a time. Maybe start with a friendly date?” the brunette suggested and pressed a kiss at Zelda’s knuckles. That tiny speck of affection sent Zelda into a whole different dimension. Images of her dating Lilith flooded her mind like magic. She had missed the affection and she craved it like a child craving ice cream.

“Okay. That sounds okay.” She smiled and squeezed Lilith’s hands.

Mary couldn’t help but smile brightly. “A date it is.”

Zelda nodded looking straight into Mary’s blue eyes. They were mesmerizing. She was enchanted by them and the more she looked at them, the more she felt as if she was drowning in them. She found herself leaning closer and closer and Mary’s breath caught into her throat, equally mesmerized by Zelda’s green eyes.

In a sudden moment of clarity, Zelda pulled back blinking. “I should go. Hilda is probably looking for me.” She cleared her throat blushing.

Mary smiled and stood up. “Yes, probably.”

Zelda stood up as well and headed for the door. With her hand on the handle, she turned around looking at Mary who was watching her from the fireplace. “So about the date…” she trailed off.

“How about I pick you up tomorrow at 7 for dinner?” Mary suggested.

“Perfect. I’ll see you then.” Zelda smiled and opened the door. Before she walked out, she turned to look at the teacher again. “And please lock your door.” She rolled her eyes mischievously.

“Yes, ma’am.” Mary laughed.

Zelda closed the door behind her with a soft click and a uncontrollable smile and walked to her car.

Mary walked to the door locking it behind Zelda. She couldn’t understand the giddiness she felt in her gut nor the fluttering in her heart and she didn’t care to explain it at the moment. She simply sat back in her armchair with another glass of whiskey and enjoyed it while she was mentally dressing herself for tomorrow’s date.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what did you guys think of how things are going?  
> Is there something particular you want to see?  
> How cute is Zelda when she is blushing huh?
> 
> Next up: Dating! (It may or may not three whole dates.)  
> Stay tuned <3


	7. The One with the Dates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary takes Zelda out on a date. Zelda takes Mary out on another date. Some of Zelda's fears appear but Mary tackles them to the ground. Is Mary falling in love with Zelda or has the battle been already lost before she even realises it?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's flirting. It's teasing. Mostly it's fluff, fluff and maybe more fluff?  
> I hope you are into that and I haven't ruined this chapter for you.  
> It's slightly longer than the usual chapters (and to think that I wanted to add another date to this).  
> Unfortunately I had to stop on the second date.  
> I really hope you will like the new chapter guys.  
> In any case let me know what you think.
> 
> And before I forgot, thank you so so much for all the feedback (comments and kudos).  
> Each and every one of them makes me really happy.

Mary was actually looking forward to the date with Zelda. They had never gotten the chance to sit and discuss about everything and nothing in particular. In fact all of their previous discussions were emotionally-charged and ended up in tears or anger one way or the other. The witch intrigued Mary more than any other person in her life. She wanted to get to know her more. Of course, no matter how passionately she denied it, it had nothing to do with her plan against the coven and everything to do with the fact that she was attracted to the redhead or how much the redhead excited her.

Mary stood outside of the Spellmans’ door in anticipation. Her nerves were on the edge which was definitely a first. She knocked softly and took a deep breath to calm herself. A few seconds after, this actually felt like months, the door opened to reveal a smiling Hilda. No, not a smiling Hilda. A way too giddy one.

Mary was actually amused by that. “Come in, come in. Zelda will be right down.” Hilda couldn’t contain her excitement and to be honest it was quite infectious. Hilda hugged Mary tightly and turned towards the stairs while Mary watched her quite entertained.

“ZELDAAAA!” Hilda practically screamed causing Mary to jump a little.

“Hilda, why the heaven are you screaming as if you are being butchered?” Zelda appeared at the top of the staircases and made her way downstairs searching for something in her purse, not having noticed Mary yet.

Poor Mary was staring at Zelda as if she was seeing her for the first time. The woman was absolutely gorgeous. The soft red locks bounced playfully with every step she took, making Mary eager to run her fingers through Zelda’s hair. She was dressed in an airy leopard dress that stopped right above her knees. It was tight around her upper body only starting flowing freely just below her hips. The moment Zelda stepped off the staircase, Mary noticed her creamy neck and cleavage which was decorated with a set of brown pearls. Suddenly she was glad that Hilda was still in the room or Mary would have pushed Zelda against the wall to kiss those beautiful red lips, taking it slow completely forgotten.

“Well, your date is here?” Hilda gushed a bit. Zelda’s head snapped upwards and her gaze fell on Mary, who was still standing there staring.

Of course, Zelda’s reaction upon seeing the teacher wasn’t any better. She stopped walking looking at the brunette with the most lustful gaze. Mary had kept her hair down falling in lush dark locks around her shoulders. She was wearing a black fitting knee-length dress with a dark red coat and dark high heels which completely erased the image of the conservative teacher from Zelda’s mind. Zelda couldn’t stop the smile that parted her lips as she made her way closer.

“Hi.” Mary greeted the redhead. “You look beau- great. Really great.”

“Thanks.” Zelda smiled pushing a lock behind her ear. “You don’t look bad yourself. Definitely not what I expected.” Zelda chuckled.

Mary’s eyes narrowed playfully. “Is that a good or a bad thing?”

“Good. For certain.” Zelda turned to put on her coat but Mary beat her to it. She held it up just like how she had done after the dinner that night. “Thank you.” Zelda murmured with a blush as she slipped into her coat. The redhead pulled her hair out of the coat and smiled at the brunette. “Shall we?”

“Yes, of course.” Mary smiled and held the door open. The two waved at Hilda who waved back with a silly and excited smile on her face.

Mary drove them to the restaurant but both women stayed silent on the way. It was quite obvious that both of them were really nervous. Upon arriving, Mary parked the car and both women stepped out. The brunette walked to Zelda’s side and offered her arm to the redhead who blushed a bit. Apparently Mary was quite a charming gentlewoman. “Oh, I never thought to ask. Is Italian okay with you?”

“Absolutely.” Zelda smiled.

“Oh good.” Mary sighed relieved. She kept the door open for Zelda and placed her hand on her lower back to guide her inside. She gave her name to the hostess and they were both led to a secluded table near a window.

Zelda wasn’t exactly talkative and Mary was starting to worry that the date wasn’t going all that well. She spent a few seconds fidgeting with a napkin before Zelda cleared her throat. “You seem distracted. Is something wrong?”

“Ehm no, no. I guess I am a little worried. You are really quiet and the Zelda I remember is not quiet at all. Is this okay?” Mary bit her lip.

“Lilith, you need to relax.” Zelda tried to offer an assuring smile. When it didn’t work, she leaned forward and took Mary’s hand in hers. “You want the date to go well. I understand. I want the same. We just need to let go just a tad.” She suggested retracting her hand and calling over a waiter. “May we please have a Cabernet Sauvignon?”

Mary was actually surprised that Zelda was being the reasonable one during the date. She definitely expected it to go the other way around. She couldn’t even pinpoint the exact reason she was being so nervous. “And here I thought you were going to charm my head off during this date. Guess I was wrong.” Zelda shrugged.

Mary was offended and ready to argue but then she noticed the playful smirk on the woman’s lips and the mischief in her eyes. _Oh it’s on, Zelda Spellman. It’s so on._

“I can’t go revealing my moves so soon now, can I? Where’s the fun in that?” She raised her chin challenging her.

Zelda rested her arms crossed on the table and leaned against them causing her cleavage to be pushed upwards. She watched how Lilith’s eyes dropped to her chest and she couldn’t help but smile. “I highly doubt that you have any moves, Miss Gladstone.”

The waited came to their table and placed the wine near Zelda. Mary looked at him and turned to look at Zelda again. “Just you wait, Miss Spellman.” She murmured accepting the menu from the waiter. “Don’t take too long. I am not a patient woman.” Zelda smirked and opened her own menu. Yes, the redhead had to have the last word. It couldn’t be helped.

The two women took their time browsing through the menu until they picked the most satisfactory option. They placed their order and raised the glasses the waiter had served them. “To our friendly date?” Zelda offered as a toast.

“To the beautiful woman I have the pleasure of escorting tonight.” Mary smirked and clank her glass against Zelda’s. They each took a small sip and placed the glasses back on the table.

The moment Mary looked back Zelda placed her hand against her sternum and gasped. “Was that one of your moves?” She fought tooth and nail not to laugh but she lost the battle when Mary rolled her eyes.

“Oh shush.” She pouted a bit.

“Very mature. I like it.” Zelda teased her some more.

Oh how the tables had turned after all. Zelda was getting under Mary’s skin instead of the other way around.

“I swear to God, Zelda Spellman, stop taunting me or else…” Mary warned her keeping herself from laughing.

Zelda threw her head back laughing. “I am sorry. It is just so easy.” She sipped some more of her wine and looked back at the brunette. “Okay, all joking aside. I have a serious question for you.”

Mary sat up a bit. “What is it?”

“How did you end up teaching in Greendale?”

That was a detail Mary hadn’t thought about; meaning that she had to come up with a logical reason on the spot. “I got tired of all the craziness going on in big cities. I needed a change of scenery and a friend of mine told me about this place.” Mary lied, already feeling guilty about it. Zelda seemed to contemplating the reason and found it adequate from the looks of it.

“How about you? Were you born here?” Mary rested her chin on her hand gazing at Zelda with interest.

“Yes, actually. Although, I did spent a lot of years traveling. I’ve always loved traveling and seeing the world.” Zelda explained with a dreamy look on her face. Mary found her even more beautiful when she spoke about traveling, so she simply kept asking Zelda about her travels. Zelda was more than happy to indulge to the discussion Mary had chosen.

The rest of the date carried on in a similar pace. The two women continued to get to know each other. Mary mostly tried to answer truthfully enough and careful not to blow her cover. They exchanged stories of their travels; Mary keeping some details out of the conversation and Zelda hiding how she had managed to travel so many times between the age of eighteen and the year Sabrina was born since that was when she returned to Greendale and stayed there until now.

Even after they had both finished their desserts they still hadn’t run out of things to say. Of course, Zelda flirting with Mary hadn’t stopped and after a while Mary also started flirting back.

At some point after dessert Zelda had excused herself to go to the bathroom. When she returned she noticed the check on the table and raised an eyebrow at Mary.

“Don’t even try to argue.” Mary silenced her with a satisfied smirk.

“Fine. I won’t. But next time, it will be my treat.” Zelda sized up Mary with her infamous _Don’t give me any nonsense._

“Zelda Spellman, are you asking me out on a second date?” She teased her.

“Why, yes. Lilith Gladstone. I believe I am.” Zelda smirked and stood up. Mary stood up as well and slipped into her coat. The two women carried on with the discussion, Mary commenting on everything Zelda said just to get a reaction from her until they arrived outside of the Mortuary. Both of them stepped out of the car, Zelda a bit surprised at Lilith’s eagerness to make sure the date was a success. Mary walked the redhead to the door with a smile.

“I had a great time, Zelda.” She confessed with a soft blush covering her cheeks. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a slip of paper. She handed it to Zelda with a playful smirk. “In case you want to set a date for our next date.” She winked.

Zelda held onto the paper tightly and took a step closer. She pressed her lips on Mary’s cheek, causing the woman’s blush to intensify. “Thank you for this lovely dinner and company, Mary. I’ll make sure to use this.” She waved the paper in her hand a bit and slipped into the house with a soft ‘Goodnight’.

Mary stood there with the silliest smile for a few seconds before she turned around to her car and drove back to the cottage.

When Zelda closed the door behind her, she tried to calm her fast beating heart for a few seconds. The redhead glanced down at the little paper and bit her lower lip. Her heart was screaming to get a second date as soon as possible but her brain was trying to keep her grounded. She tossed her purse and coat to a nearby chair and glanced at the mirror. The silly smile plastered on her face shocked her and gave the answer to her dilemma. She opened a drawer and grabbed her cell phone. She climbed the stairs straight up to the attic and knocked softly at the door.

The door opened and Ambrose looked at her in surprise.

“Aunt Zee? What’s wrong?”

“I need your help with something.”

“Okay?” the young man was confused. Zelda rarely asked for anyone’s help. “Come in.” he walked back to his bed and sat down letting his aunt sitting on the only chair on the room. Zelda closed the door and sat on the chair. She tossed her phone on the bed next to Ambrose.

“I need you to teach me how to text.” Before he had the chance to reply, she raised her finger and glared at him. “If you dare to mention this to anyone or laugh, you won’t live to see the next day.” She threatened him and the young man stopped his laughter on time.

“I promise, I won’t.” he smiled and turned on her phone. “It was about time you learned to use one of these.” He commented and stood up ready to teach her everything he knew.

An hour later, Zelda managed to grasp the basics. She thanked her nephew and hurried to her room. She glanced at the clock wondering if it was too late to text the brunette. She typed a message anyway but ended up erasing it. In fact, she repeated the action ten more times before scolding herself and actually sending a message.

_Hey! It’s Zelda. I really enjoyed our date tonight. When you have time to discuss our second date let me know. ;)_

She flung the phone at her bed shaking from head to toe. She felt like a silly teenager at the moment which made the whole thing even more ridiculous. She took a deep breath and changed into her chemise and cleaned her face from any trace of make-up. She continued her nightly routine of applying her night creams on her body when the sudden ping made her jump out of her skin. She ran to grab her phone, forgetting all about her creams.

* * *

The rest of the weekend had passed by in a blur for both of the women. They had spent hours upon hours texting each other. Zelda had tried to be discreet about it but the only person she managed to fool was Sabrina. Neither Hilda nor Ambrose commented on it though; Ambrose from fear for his own life and Hilda from fear of ruining Zelda’s happiness. The blonde witch was ecstatic for her sister. She hadn’t seen her smile like that in years.

The second date had been already arranged the night Zelda had the guts to send the first message but that didn’t stop the two women from finding other things to talk about until then. By now, Mary knew that Zelda liked chocolate pancakes for breakfast but didn’t indulge to it often and her favorite ice cream flavor was mocha while Zelda knew that Mary only had coffee for breakfast, which it was usually cappuccino and her favorite ice cream flavor was cookie dough. In fact, Mary used the flavors as an opportunity to tease Zelda about how compatible they were just because the two flavors were perfect together. Also both women were surprised to discover that they enjoyed a cup of tea in the evening with the company of silence and a good book. But what surprised them both by far was the fact that they both enjoyed the texting until late at night.

The day of their second date, Mary tried to will the clock to move faster. She caught herself staring at the clock every five minutes and it always ended up with her turning back to her classroom with disappointment all over her face. No matter how hard she tried to focus on her lessons, her thoughts kept drifting back to Zelda.

_What the hell is going on with me?_

The moment the last bell of the day rang signaling that lessons were over for the day, Mary ran out of the classroom as if a demon was chasing after her. Always with elegance of course. Quite a few students stopped and stared at her as she passed by them. She didn’t even think to sit at her office for an hour in case any student needed help even though it was usually something she did every day.

“Hey. I just finished from school. I was thinking of getting some lunch at Dr Cee’s. Would you like to join me? :)” She sent a text to Zelda and waited a few minutes to see if the witch would reply before she started the car. She scolded herself a bit for seeming too eager but she couldn’t wait around for three more hours to see Zelda again.

The reply was almost instant and it certainly brought a silly smile to the teacher’s face.

“I’ll see you there in thirty minutes.”

Mary drove her car in front of the shop. She parked the car and made her way inside. She glanced around searching for Hilda but she only saw Dr Cee behind the counter. She slipped into a booth and browsed through the menu trying not to fidget too much until Zelda got there.

She was growing restless when an hour had passed and Zelda hadn’t arrived yet. She was starting to get worried until she heard the bell over the door and her head snapped upwards. She smiled when she saw Zelda looking around frantically. When she finally spotted her, Zelda had the brightest smile on her face.

“Sorry, I am late. Something came up at work.” Zelda apologized and leaned to kiss Mary’s cheek. The kiss seemed as such a normal thing to do at the moment but as soon as Zelda realized what she did, a soft blush spread up her porcelain neck. Mary didn’t comment on it.

“An unexpected death? “ Mary’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

Zelda wanted to smack herself upside the head. She was actually talking about the Academy but she just realized that Lilith didn’t know anything about her actual job. “Ehm- no. It’s a whole paperwork story. I don’t want to bore you.” She shrugged it off hoping that the teacher wouldn’t push for more details. “How was your day?”

“Nothing out of the ordinary or interesting enough to share.” Mary shrugged. “I am not gonna lie, I was looking forward to our date.” She confessed.

“Oh, really? Is that why you asked me out for lunch?” Zelda slipped out of her coat revealing quite the power suit underneath it. Mary felt her mouth go dry at the sight. She took a sip from her water trying to focus.

“Maybe?” she chuckled trying in vain to hide her embarrassment. Zelda had missed that soft chuckle. She smiled at the teacher.

“If it makes you feel better, I was looking forward to this as well.” She grabbed the menu and looked through it stealing some glances at the brunette every now and then.

After placing their order, they were pulled back into a discussion around school subjects with Mary informing Zelda that even though she was teaching History, her favorite subject was quite different.

“Science? You don’t peg me for a person who loves Science to be honest.” Zelda looked her up and down. She tapped a finger against her chin in thought. “If I had to guess, I would say Poetry.”

“What gives you the idea? Is it the glasses or the clothes?” Mary scowled a bit.

“Neither, Mary. You don’t need to get so offended.” Zelda laughed. “You just seem like a person who would enjoy Poetry. That’s all.”

“Okay, I do like Poetry more than History. That’s true.” Mary mumbled which caused Zelda to laugh again. One thing was certain even though Mary wouldn’t actually admit it. Zelda’s laugh was by far her favorite sound.

When their lunch was placed in front of them, Mary raised an eyebrow at Zelda. “Is that all you are having for lunch?” she asked pointing at the small salad Zelda had in front of her.

Zelda fidgeted a bit but nodded. “I like salad.”

“No, you don’t. You are lying. I can see it all over your face.”

Zelda sighed. “I am just being careful of what I am eating. I am on a diet at the moment.” She seemed uncomfortable talking about it and Mary noticed in an instant. She didn’t want to ruin their lunch, so she didn’t pressure Zelda to tell her the truth.

“Don’t know if you want my opinion but I am gonna share it anyway.” Mary started making Zelda look up at her. “Being on a diet isn’t going to make you more beautiful than you already are.” She leaned forward a bit. “You are just perfect.” She smiled and popped a fry in her mouth.

Again the teacher caused her to turn the color of her hair. She blamed her white porcelain skin for not being able to hide her blush. “Don’t tell me this is another one of your moves.” Zelda teased her trying to shoo her embarrassment away by looking into her salad and poking the lettuce with her fork. Mary wasn’t having it though. She stood up and sat next to Zelda who turned to look at Mary surprised. “No. It is not. It is the truth. Whether you believe me or not that’s your choice.” Mary smiled and pulled her burger closer not changing seats again.

Zelda was left speechless for a moment gaping at Mary who took a bite from her burger as if nothing was going on.

“Is this where you are going to sit for the rest of the lunch?” Zelda swallowed with difficulty. Mary’s perfume hit her like a train but Zelda gritted her teeth and pretended that it didn’t affect her at all.

“Yes. Why, Spellman? Am I making you uncomfortable?” Mary turned to look at the redhead as soon as she swallowed.

Zelda’s eyes fell on her lips and chuckled. “Not uncomfortable at all.” She grabbed a napkin and cleaned the ketchup from Mary’s chin as if it was the most normal thing in the world. “Can you get any messier?” she chuckled.

“It depends on what I am eating.” Mary didn’t skip a beat. She stared at Zelda with the most serious expression she could muster. “If I love what I am eating, everything gets messier.”

Zelda stared at her, her mind going to a completely different type of eating. She cleared her throat and snapped her attention back at her food. Mary grinned and focused on her own lunch. It took Zelda several minutes to attempt a different conversation and push the image of Lilith doing things to her out of her mind.

* * *

So far the lunch date had been a success if you asked Mary. She had absolutely enjoyed everything about it and mostly Zelda’s companion. While Zelda was purchasing their tickets which Mary had reluctantly agreed on since according to Zelda it was her turn to pay, the brunette had slipped away and had gotten them some popcorn and two sodas.

Zelda was looking around for her wondering where she had run off to. She spotted her after a while walking towards the redhead with the most adorable smile on her face. “Lilith, we literally just ate!” Zelda rolled her eyes but the smile didn’t leave her lips.

“What do you mean, we just ate? We finished eating one and a half hour ago.” Mary countered. “And does watching a movie even counts if you don’t get popcorn?”

“I am still full. If I recall correctly, you didn’t really eat popcorn the previous time.”

“Fine. You don’t need to have any. I’ll eat them by myself.” She grinned and gave Zelda her soda. “As for that movie, watching it wasn’t exactly my prior reason for being here.”

Zelda raised an eyebrow.

“I’ll tell you another time. Let’s just go find our seats.” Mary started walking towards the cinema hall. Zelda walked behind her shaking her head.

Zelda took her seat beside Mary and removed her coat making herself comfortable. Mary was already diving into the popcorn bucket. “So let me guess. It’s another horror film?” She asked amused as soon as she swallowed her mouthful of popcorn.

“Is that not okay?” Zelda turned at her worry all over her face.

Mary rushed to assure her that it was okay of course. “No no. I don’t mind.” She leaned towards Zelda. “Especially if it ends up like the previous one.”

Zelda looked at her in confusion.

“You, holding my hand because you got scared.” She clarified. “I may have not mentioned it but that doesn’t mean I forgot about it.”

Zelda cleared her throat and turned to the screen. “That doesn’t mean it will happen again. It was a momentary lapse.” She shrugged it off as if it was nothing but Mary didn’t let that affect her. She knew Zelda was only using it as an excuse.

“By all means, if you have another lapse, my hand will be here.” Mary pointed out placing her hand on the armrest on Zelda’s side. Zelda didn’t turn her head to look at it but Mary caught her watching her from the corner of her eye.

When the movie started both women turned their full attention to the screen. Mary refrained from teasing and flirting Zelda like she did the previous time but she still tried to be as close to her as possible. She kept her mouth shut when Zelda sneaked some popcorn into her mouth which she probably did without her even realizing it. Mary smiled a little at that. When Zelda’s attention was solely on the movie, she seemed to be more comfortable around Mary.

At least that was what Mary thought. Zelda was hyperaware of what she was doing. She still watched the movie but she was also fighting with herself. When she sneaked the first popcorn into her mouth, she held her breath waiting for a scorning comment or something from Lilith but when it didn’t come she relaxed and continued with sneaking piece after piece into her mouth.

Half of the movie later, the bucket was empty and discarded near their feet. Zelda glanced at Lilith’s hand from the corner of her eye but she was chickening out. She kept repeating into her head the same thing. _Just take her hand. Do it. Do it! What are you so afraid of? She isn’t Faustus._ She got as far as one finger twitching. She felt so disappointed in herself. Her shoulders slumped and a soft sigh escaped her lips, barely audible to her own ears. She doubted Lilith had heard.

Mary indeed didn’t hear it but as if reading her mind she slowly moved her hand towards Zelda’s giving her the time to back away if she didn’t want the contact. She didn’t turn to look at her. She didn’t want to spook her. It was the little things that spooked Zelda she noticed. The little affectionate things. The redhead didn’t have a problem with the flirting and teasing but she was hesitant when it came to real affection like a hug, a kiss or even something as simple as touching.

The moment their hands touched and Zelda felt a bit bolder, she slipped her fingers between Lilith’s keeping both hands on her lap and both women visibly relaxed. They spent the rest of the movie like that. Every now and then, whenever Mary felt Zelda tensing up, she stroked the back of her hand with her thumb until she relaxed again.

When the movie was over, neither woman wanted to pull away. In an unspoken agreement, they stood; Zelda grabbed their coats while Mary grabbed the finished popcorn and sodas and exited the cinema hand in hand. After getting rid of the trash, Mary took her coat from Zelda as they walked down the street.

Neither Zelda nor Mary seemed willing to end the date just yet. While they walked in silence, they stumbled upon a neon sign that read “Sprinklistic”. Mary turned towards Zelda with a grin.

“Dear Hecate! Do you have a bottomless stomach or something?” Zelda rolled her eyes. “I am on a date with a child.” She shook her head when Mary pouted a bit. If Zelda knew more about Mary’s childhood, she would have understood this constant need of Mary’s to try everything with someone. But at the moment she found it a bit ridiculous.

Nevertheless she couldn’t deny the strong pout on the teacher’s face. “Alright fine we can go in but I am not having any.” She said firmly.

Mary pulled her through the door and approached the counter with a polite smile.

“Hello!” she greeted the sweet woman on the other side. “May I have a cup of mocha and cookie dough ice cream?” Zelda looked at her surprised that she remembered her own preference. “Oh and two spoons.”

“I told you, I don’t want any.” The redhead whispered. Mary looked at her as if saying “you won’t get away with it” and paid for the ice cream.

After exiting the parlor, the two women ended up on a bench in the Greendale Park. Mary shoved ice cream down her throat and tried to convince Zelda to at least have a taste. Zelda denied every time until…

“I’ll shut up about it if you try it once.”

“Okay fine. Give me that spoon.” Zelda moaned a bit the moment the ice cream touched her tongue. Mary watched with wide eyes for a bit. That was definitely a sound she wanted to hear more and under different circumstances.

“I knew you wanted to eat some.” She said smugly.

“You promised me that you would shut up about it.” Zelda pointed out with a scowl.

“Alright, alright. I just like sharing things with you.” Mary shrugged and she was surprised with herself when she realized the truth behind that statement. Zelda was actually touched by that. She found it incredibly sweet.

“I am sorry.” Zelda murmured softly.

That caught Mary’s attention. “What for?”

“For being this way when it comes to food.” Zelda pointed out.

Mary shook her head. “You don’t need to apologize for this, Zelda.” She placed the ice cream on the bench and turned fully towards Zelda. “You should eat whatever you want to eat. Please don’t feel like I am pressuring you into eating. I don’t want you to do that for me.” She smiled taking her hand. “But if you are denying yourself the things you enjoy because someone told you so or forced you to then it is not okay.” Mary simply hit the nail on the head with that one. She could see it all over Zelda’s face. “The choice is yours and yours alone. And whatever they told you about it, they were mistaken.”

Apparently what Mary said to her must have been the right thing because next thing she knew she felt Zelda’s lips against her own. Her eyes fluttered closed in an instant losing herself into the kiss immediately. Zelda had placed a warm hand on her cheek keeping her as close as possible. This kiss was quite different than the heated, passionately one they had shared the night Zelda fled scared of her own feelings. This kiss was heartfelt and sweet and it definitely felt more intimate than the first one.

The two women pulled back slowly still under the spell of that kiss. Their hearts were beating loudly into their own ears and two matching soft smiles painted their lips.

“What was that for?” Mary murmured softly.

“A thank you…” Zelda smiled and leaned back in again. “And I felt like it.” She wrapped her arms around Mary’s waist and pulled her into another kiss. Mary placed a hand on the back of Zelda’s neck and rested the other on her shoulder getting lost into the soft kiss once again; the ice cream laid on the bench melting forgotten.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What did you think? Was that what you expected? Did you hate it or love it?  
> Either way I would love to read your opinion!  
> Thank you for taking the time to read this anyway!  
> I love you :*
> 
> P.S. I am sorry for any mistakes on the language. English isn't my first language.


	8. Family bonding and a confession

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary spends time with Salem, Ambrose and Sabrina. Zelda loves the way Lilith is bonding with her family and decides to trust her with a secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NEW CHAPTER ALERT!  
> I struggled a bit to write this. I pray to Hecate that it turned out good. It took me a few tries until I finished it.  
> I hope you will enjoy it, guys. And again sorry for any mistakes ^_^
> 
> As always I really want to thank you for all the comments and kudos. I am still shocked at the love this story receives.  
> Let me know what you think about this chapter. I love reading your reactions and opinions.  
> Enjoy, you beautiful readers <3

Their relationship was developing faster than anyone predicted. Not a day passed by that the two women didn’t speak on the phone, visited each other or went out on a date. Mary had helped Zelda with her issues surrounding food and the redhead stopped skipping meals for which Hilda was actually really grateful. Faustus had caused quite the damage on her sister and Hilda was relieved that Lilith was helping Zelda heal from that.

Mary was having dinner with the Spellmans almost every night after her and Zelda’s third date. Hilda had invited her over through Zelda wanting to thank her for what she was doing for her sister and because she wanted to get to know her better. After that dinner, it had become something like a habit for the Spellmans to have Mary over frequently.

The Spellmans had stopped any discussions about witchcraft unless they were absolutely certain that Lilith wasn’t anywhere within hearing distance. Even though Zelda and Hilda had discussed the possibility of Zelda telling Lilith about the magic and their coven, Zelda wasn’t entirely convinced that it was time yet. It wasn’t the fact that Zelda didn’t trust Lilith but the actual fear that she would lose the brunette from her life, if Lilith knew the truth.

Mary, on the other hand, hadn’t even realized that she wasn’t trying to get any information on the coven or witchcraft. In fact her plan was the last thing on her mind every time she was with Zelda. The redhead was making her feel things she hadn’t felt before and Mary had started to cherish that. After her parents were murdered Mary was completely alone. The nuns had never been considered family, especially not after the punishments they inflicted to her from time to time. You see, young Mary was quite the troublemaker but the nuns had made sure to break her spirit completely by the time she reached the age of 10. She was turned into a little soldier under their hand and she never went against their will.

By the time she left the convent, she had been turned into a cold-hearted killer. She focused all her strength on hunting witches for years and had never even tried to form any type of relationship with humans. No friends and no partners. It was easier that way. Losing her parents had cost her everything. She didn’t want to lose anyone else.

Things were getting more complicated now that she grew closer to the Spellmans. It wasn’t just Zelda. No. Hilda had become a dear friend and even Ambrose and Sabrina had managed to worm their way into her heart somehow. Not to mention that blasted cat who had hissed at her during that first dinner. She was actually worried that Salem would ruin her plan that night. Thankfully, Sabrina had brushed off his discomfort. Unknowingly to her something had obviously changed because every time she visited she always found the cat around her legs purring and trying to get her attention.

A knock on the door pulled Mary away from her musings. She opened her eyes and saw Sabrina’s smiling face looking at her. She caught herself smiling back at the girl. “May I help you, Sabrina?”

“Hi, Miss Gladstone.” The girl held the door open but didn’t come closer. “I was about to leave and I was thinking that maybe you would like to walk home with me. Aunt Zelda said that you are joining us for lunch.”

Mary glanced at the clock on the wall and raised an eyebrow. “Oh dear, is that the time? I didn’t even realize. Give me a minute to gather my things and I’ll be right with you.” Mary informed her and stood up. Sabrina nodded and stepped back outside while Mary grabbed her coat, her purse and the papers she needed to grade.

She joined Sabrina outside and she started making her way to the car. Sabrina grabbed her arm softly to stop her. “Can we walk?” she asked.

“But my car is right there.” Mary raised an eyebrow wondering why Sabrina was being so weird.

“I thought that it would be more fun if we went on foot?” the blonde witch offered.

“Sabrina, I am wearing heels!” Mary looked down pointedly.

The young witch turned the puppy eyes on and Mary frowned. “Okay. What is it? Spill it.” She crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Nothing. Everything is fine.”

But of course, Mary looked at Sabrina like she knew she was bullshitting her. The young witch sighed. “I’d like to talk to you about something and I prefer doing that without my aunts around.” She bit her lower lip. “I kind of need your advice and I can’t ask my aunts because it’s embarrassing.”

Mary couldn’t believe she was agreeing to this but before she had thought it through, she found herself nodding. The pair started walking towards the Mortuary. Mary waited patiently for Sabrina to gather her courage. She knew her feet were going to suffer but she had never seen Sabrina so serious and troubled.

After five minutes of walking in silence, she heard Sabrina taking a deep breath. “Sabrina, you are worrying me. What’s going on?”

“No. Don’t worry. It’s not anything bad.” Sabrina rushed to assure her. “It’s about a boy.”

“Okay?” Mary was starting to grasp what Sabrina was struggling with and she wanted to laugh a bit. Boy, did she choose the wrong person for advice on relationships. “Is it about Nicholas?”

Sabrina stopped abruptly and turned to look at her teacher. “How do you know about him?”

“Your aunts may have mentioned him.” Sabrina rolled her eyes at that. “Lose the attitude, young lady. They are responsible for you.”

Sabrina groaned. “Yeah, yeah. Anyway, I’d rather not talk about my aunts even though I am sure you’d love to talk about one of them in particular.” She smirked and started walking again.

“Sabrina!” Mary gasped and followed after the young witch.

“What? I have eyes, you know.” She chuckled. Mary prayed that the earth was gonna open and shallow her whole at that moment. She had never been more embarrassed in her life. She blamed that on the fact that she didn’t really care what people thought of her since she didn’t have any meaningful relationships with them.

“You wanted to talk about your boyfriend?” Mary pulled the blonde’s attention away from the relationship with her aunt.

“Oh right. Yeah.” Sabrina blushed a little struggling with how to say it out loud and Mary decided to put her out of her misery by taking a wild guess. After all, what else would be troubling a teenager’s mind?

“Is he pressuring you to do something you don’t want to do, Sabrina?”

Sabrina’s cheeks turned red. “No, no. He is really sweet and everything. He never pressured me into anything.” She murmured. “The thing is that we have been together for a while now but we have never done…” she cleared her throat. “A-and I-I guess that I don’t know if I am ready to- to-”

Mary decided to intervene and save Sabrina the humiliation of spilling it out completely. The girl had already turned the color of a tomato. If she left her struggle with it more, she would probably explode. “Listen to me, Sabrina. There will come a time that you will feel ready. If like you say, he is kind to you, he will understand that you are not ready. Clearly, you aren’t yet. Don’t rush into things because you are worried of what he will think. This is not his decision, it is yours. Trust me on this. You will feel it when it’s time.” Mary offered her advice. She was surprised that Sabrina came to her with that instead of asking her friends about it. She actually found it sweet even if it was unexpected and a bit awkward. But then again, Sabrina came to her for advice a lot in the past with the only difference being that the advice was mostly about school and never something so personal.

“You are right.” Sabrina nodded a bit relieved. That was when she realized that she turned for advice to her aunt’s girlfriend and not only her teacher/role model. “Could I ask you for another favor?” At Mary’s nod, Sabrina continued nervously. “Could you not say anything to my aunts about this?”

“Only if you promise that you will not mention to your aunt that you asked my advice on your romantic affairs. I don’t even want to think how she will react to that.” Mary joked.

“You’ve got yourself a deal.” Sabrina laughed.

The two women continued their walk towards the Mortuary with Sabrina teasing Mary about her relationship with Zelda and Mary cursing herself for agreeing to all of this in the first place.

When the front door opened, Zelda failed to see Mary walking in after Sabrina. “Oh Sabrina, thank Hecate you are here! We are needed at the Academy right now. Prudence said it is urgent.”

“Auntie!” Sabrina exclaimed worried which made Zelda snap her head up. Her eyes landed on Lilith who was standing there with two eyebrows raised.

“Academy?” She questioned and Zelda and Sabrina racked their brain to find an explanation that would sound believable enough to fool Lilith.

“I-I- Well, it is possible that Sabrina might change schools-”

“Because I want to be with my boyfriend-“ Sabrina jumped in trying to cover for her aunt. “-and the school is a Spellman tradition. All the Spellmans attended.”

“R-right and they called earlier to inform us that we could visit today so that Sabrina will have a tour and decide if she wants to switch schools.” Zelda finished. She could hear her own heart beating wildly in her chest.

Mary, of course, didn’t believe that for one second and it was written all over her face and her body language. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and waited for a better explanation.

“So we should go do that and then come back for lunch?” Sabrina tried to ease the tension. She grabbed her aunt’s arm and pulled her towards the door under Mary’s suspicious gaze.

Zelda sent Sabrina to the car and stopped at the door close to the teacher. “Right. Lilith, make yourself comfortable. Hilda and Ambrose will probably be back in a bit.” Zelda leaned in and pressed her lips against Lilith’s in a soft kiss. “I’ll see you later.” She smiled apologetically.

“With the truth, I hope.” Mary called after her. Zelda’s face fell. She knew Lilith wasn’t going to back down. Not until she learned the truth but she didn’t know if she was ready to tell her yet.

When the door closed behind Zelda, Mary slipped out of her heels and walked barefoot to the living room. Her feet were killing her. She cursed herself for letting Sabrina convince her to walk home. She just realized that she would have to walk back to her car after lunch and she couldn’t help the groan that escaped her lips. She sat on the couch next to the fireplace and decided to do some grading until someone returned.

Barely ten minutes passed by and she felt something fuzzy against her ankles. She looked down and saw Salem rubbing his head against her legs. She couldn’t help the soft smile that spread on her lips. She leaned down and petted him softly. It was the first time she actually did that. She pushed the papers to the side and pulled the black cat on her lap. He seemed to enjoy the affection since he made himself comfortable and closed his eyes.

The cat stayed in her lap napping while she continued her work and the petting until Hilda walked in. She was surprised to see Lilith there alone with Salem on her lap. That cat barely went near anyone that wasn’t Sabrina.

“Lilith, hi.” Hilda smiled. “Where’s Zelda?” she asked when she noticed how quiet the house was.

“At the Academy.” Lilith smirked a bit at Hilda’s panic.

“Y-you know about that?”

“You mean about the school Sabrina wants to transfer to so she can be with her boyfriend? Yes, Zelda told me before she left with Sabrina.” She smiled innocently. It would be so easy to extract the information from Hilda but she was reluctant to do that. She would prefer if Zelda was the one to tell her whenever she was ready, instead of letting Hilda do that by accident.

“Yeah that.” Hilda smiled relieved. “I should start lunch. They will probably be back soon.”

“Would you like some help? I mean I don’t know much about cooking but I am sure I could do something to help.”

“Oh no, love. I’ve got it covered.” She assured her. “Oh by the way, if you ever want to learn, let me know. I would love to show you the basics.” Hilda smiled and disappeared into the kitchen.

Mary turned back to her papers and Salem. Barely five minutes went by when she heard the front door open and close again. She heard soft talking coming from the kitchen and a few seconds later, Ambrose walked into the living room with a smile.

“Hey, Miss Gladstone.” He smiled warmly to her.

“Hello, Ambrose. How are you?”

“Good good. How about you?”

Mary raised the papers she was grading. “Frustrated. The things I’ve had to read. Ugh!” she rolled her eyes. “I swear sometimes I wonder what the hell I am teaching them.” Ambrose chuckled at that.

“Maybe I can find something more interesting for you to do.” He smirked when the idea came.

“Oh do tell.”

“Do you, by any chance, know how to play chess?” he smirked. Ambrose was a legendary chess player. He always used to brag that strategy was his second name. The only person that always beat him was Zelda and he was still bitter about that.

“Know how to play? Please! I am a Master. Or should I say Mistress?” Mary shook her head looking at him with mirth. “The real question is, do you want to lose, Ambrose?”

“I do not lose, Miss Gladstone.” He said cockily and retrieved the chess board from a nearby cabinet.

“Oh please call me Lilith. I am going to kick your ass in about five minutes.” Mary laughed and watched Ambrose setting up the board on the table between them. “Nice language, Lilith. And you call yourself a teacher.” He joked and Lilith threw a couch pillow at him. She leaned forward disturbing Salem for a minute. He whined for unsettling him and moved around until he got comfortable again.

“Black or White?” Ambrose asked.

“You are going to lose anyway. So why don’t you take the white?” She shrugged.

“Keep dreaming!” he scowled. He moved a pawn and the game began.

The match continued steadily. Mary strategically losing pawns until she was left with pawns she needed in the position she wanted them exactly. Ambrose had no idea what was coming. He had quite a few pawns left on his side. They had been playing for at least half an hour and Ambrose had begun to grow cockier and cockier by the minute.

When Zelda and Sabrina walked in, Mary and Ambrose were staring at the board intently neither noticing the arrival of the other Spellmans. Zelda walked behind Mary and placed her hands on her shoulders. Mary didn’t flinch or move to greet her. She moved another piece and stopped the timer. She turned to look at Zelda with a smile while Ambrose was contemplating his next move.

“Hey.” She smiled and Zelda leaned in to kiss her cheek softly.

“Hi.” She murmured.

“Get a room.” Sabrina piped up.

Mary blushed a little but Zelda turned to glare at her rude niece. “Why don’t you go help your aunt set the table, niece?”

“Why me?” she whined.

“Because I said so.” Zelda said firmly and the girl left the room mumbling about her being mistreated because she was the youngest. The redhead moved to sit next to Lilith repositioning the papers from the couch to the table. Salem jumped off Lilith’s lap and followed Sabrina out of the room disturbed by all the noise.

Ambrose took another one of Lilith’s pawn with a smirk. “Your move, Lilith.”

Zelda looked at Ambrose surprised to hear him call the teacher by her first name but didn’t comment on it. Apparently her family was becoming more comfortable around the brunette and Zelda was grateful for that.

“You should quit while your dignity is still intact.” Ambrose leaned back with a smug smile on his face. Zelda smiled and leaned back against the couch. She rested her hand on the back of the couch and around Mary watching the game between the two.

“Now why would I quit when I am winning?” Mary raised an eyebrow and made another move capturing a significant piece. Zelda looked closer at the board and tried to read Mary’s strategy but was unable to do so. As far as she was concerned, Lilith seemed to be losing.

Her words threw Ambrose off a bit. He leaned over the board once again in thought trying to find something that might have escaped his notice. A sly smile spread on his lips. “You must be dreaming, if you think you are winning.” He said making his next move.

Mary was looking straight into Ambrose when she made her next move. “Check.”

“What?” he exclaimed. The smile left his lips at once and he looked down at the board trying to find a way to save his King. “How the heaven?” he exclaimed out loud.

“Apparently you are not as good as you think you are.” She shrugged with the most innocent smile on her face. Zelda laughed when she saw Ambrose’s face.

“Food is ready!” Hilda called from the kitchen.

Ambrose stood up sulking and turned to his aunt. “You two are made for each other.” He huffed and headed for the kitchen.

The two women started laughing at once. “He is such a sore loser.” Zelda said and tried to stand up when Mary stopped her. Zelda got worried that the teacher was going to ask her about the Academy and mention her lie but Mary had other ideas.

Mary placed her palm on Zelda’s cheek and pulled her closer locking their lips together. Zelda’s heart skipped a beat at the soft kiss. Her arms immediately enveloped the teacher but it took all her willpower not to take the make out session further.

Mary pulled away slowly, her lips forming a smile when she looked into Zelda’s mesmerizing eyes. “Hi.” She stroked her cheek softly.

Zelda blushed a bit but leaned into Mary’s touch. “Hello to you too.” She murmured and kissed Lilith softly.

“I’ve wanted to do that ever since you came through the door.” She whispered.

“I am glad you finally did.” Zelda smiled.

Lilith shared a playful smirk with Zelda before pushing her down on the couch and kissing her again, a bit more passionately this time. Zelda slipped her fingers between the other woman’s thick locks and got lost into the kiss until she felt a sudden breeze all over her body and realized that Lilith’s weight was no longer on top of her. She opened her eyes and looked at Lilith with the most sorrowful gaze she could muster.

Mary chuckled at the sight and leaned down to give her a peck. “Don’t look at me like that. You know your family is waiting for us in the next room.” Mary straightened her clothes and offered a hand to Zelda.

“Then you shouldn’t have started this in the first place.” She pouted and was pulled up by Lilith.

The brunette chuckled a bit when she noticed Zelda’s face. She brushed her thumb around Zelda’s lips trying to erase any evidence of their make out session. The redhead stayed still when she realized what Lilith was doing. She chuckled and pulled the other woman to the bathroom and offered her a wet paper towel. “You just had to wear red lipstick today.” Zelda teased her and turned to the mirror to clean off the mess from her own skin.

The two glanced at each other through the mirror and chuckled. “Let’s go eat. It won’t get better than this.” Lilith pointed out and pecked Zelda’s lips again.

When the two women joined the rest of Zelda’s family, Sabrina opened her mouth to tease them. It was obvious by the mocking smile she had on her lips. Before she had the chance to do so, Ambrose kicked her beneath the table to shut her up. The young witch turned and glared at him but closed her mouth nonetheless.

The lunch was a usual affair with the family and Mary talking about their day, nothing out of the ordinary. They shared a few laughs and a few stories about the old days. Hilda brewed some tea after lunch which again they all shared together until it was time for Mary to return to her cottage.

Zelda walked Mary to the door with an almost sad smile to see her go so early. Mary sighed when she slipped her feet into her heels and turned to look at Zelda. “I hate to be a bother but could you drive me to the school?” she bit her lip nervously.

“What happened to your car?” Zelda asked since she failed to notice if her car was outside or not.

“Your niece wanted to walk here after school and she turned the puppy eyes on me.” Mary rolled her eyes and Zelda couldn’t help but laugh at that.

“Say no more.” Zelda grabbed her keys and followed Mary to the car.

During the drive, Mary stole glances at Zelda and tried to contain her smile which was impossible. Actually that worried her a bit. Just glancing at Zelda, shouldn’t give her all these weird feelings, should it? No, it shouldn’t because that was supposed to be a job. She wasn’t supposed to have feelings for the redhead but the way the sunlight fell on her hair and made her eyes sparkle? That was the most beautiful sight Mary had ever seen in all her life. Her hair shone like they had caught fire and contrasted with the forest green of her eyes perfectly.

Zelda, of course, caught her staring after a while. “Lilith, why are you looking at me like that?” she wondered out loud.

“You just look like a goddess!” Mary pointed out in a trance. She blushed when she realized what she said and couldn’t believe the words that left her mouth.

“Oh stop exaggerating.” Zelda rolled her eyes but that didn’t stop the soft blush on her own cheeks.

“I am not, Zelda. You are beautiful. Honestly, you are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” Mary insisted and turned her gaze back towards the road.

Zelda, who hadn’t received many compliments like that before, tightened her grip on the stirring wheel a bit. She remembered Faustus and how awful he used to make her feel about her uncommon hair color, awfully white skin and round and broad hips. She was astonished by how different Lilith and Faustus were. While Faustus had the tendency to criticize every little thing on her body every chance he got, Lilith praised every imperfection Faustus found _disgusting_.

The redhead rested her hand on Mary’s knee and whispered a soft but honest “thank you”. Mary smiled and took her hand in her own. She brought it to her lips and kissed Zelda’s knuckles softly before letting go.

“Do you have any plans for later?” Mary asked when they arrived at the school and Zelda parked the car.

“No, why?”

“Would you like to come over for a drink later?” Mary proposed. “No offence to your family but I’d like to spend some time with you without the possibility to be interrupted.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Zelda chuckled and leaned closer. The two shared a soft kiss which would have progressed further if they weren’t in the car where anyone would be able to see them.

Mary pulled away from the kiss reluctantly. She stared into Zelda’s green eyes and smiled. “Great. I’ll see you then.” She pecked her lips once again and then got out of the car. Zelda watched the other woman get in the car. She could still feel the impression of Lilith’s lips against her own. Damn that woman and the feelings she invoked into Zelda.

* * *

One her way back, Zelda couldn’t get Lilith’s words out of her mind. She couldn’t believe that it was possible for such a perfect woman to exist. She was sweet and loving, she paid her compliments every time she had the chance, she was gentle and affectionate but she was also a tease. Not to mention that she had figured out Zelda’s buttons the moment she met her. She could irk her and anger her but the next minute she managed to tame her with the sweetest words.

She was everything Zelda could ever want in a relationship and yet the witch was still worried. It wasn’t that she didn’t trust her but she was afraid of how Lilith would react when Zelda told her the truth. Would she flee in fright or accept her for who she is? _Be realistic, Zelda. How can anyone be accepting of something like that?_

But then again, if she didn’t tell her now that their relationship was still blooming, she would still risk Lilith running away in terror afterwards. By then, Zelda could have fallen in love with her already. Oh who was she kidding? She was already in love with the teacher. Every minute away from her felt like torture. Either way, the risk of heartbreak was really high.

Nevertheless, Zelda had made her decision. She was telling her tonight no matter what. She couldn’t postpone this anymore, not to mention that she wanted an honest relationship. Lies had no place in her love life.

* * *

Later that night, Mary was curled up on the couch reading a book when Zelda arrived at the cottage. She was wearing black yoga pants and green t-shirt which was quite unlike for the teacher but quite appropriate to drive Zelda crazy.

She hurried to open the door when Zelda knocked.

“Hello, beautiful.” She smiled pulling her inside. Mary didn’t waste time. She pushed Zelda against the now closed door and kissed her senseless. To say that Zelda was shocked after that greeting would be an understatement. Nevertheless, she wrapped her arms around the petite teacher who was barefoot and a few inches shorter at the moment and reciprocated the kiss to the fullest.

“If that’s the greeting I am going to receive every time I visit you, I will have to stop by more frequently.” Zelda said breathlessly.

“Please do.” Mary grinned and finally released her. “Can I get you anything?”

“Some whiskey, if you have it.”

“Coming right up. Make yourself at home.” She winked and walked to the liquor cabinet. She poured some whiskey into two glasses while Zelda slipped out of her heels and coat and took a seat on the couch. When Mary turned around, she caught Zelda staring at her ass. Of course, Mary being Mary she wasn’t going to let it slide without a comment.

“See something you like?” she asked her as she passed the glass to her and sat on the couch with her feet tucked under her. Of course, she made herself comfortable as close to Zelda as possible, trying to cause that adorable blush to emerge.

Zelda didn’t reply. Instead she took a large sip from her whiskey and left it on the table. She turned to Mary with the most sinful look in her eyes. “So what if I am?”

Mary, who was in the middle of drinking at the moment, choked on her drink, definitely not expecting Zelda to be so bold.

Zelda could only smirk at the reaction. “Not the answer you were aiming for?” she chuckled and leaned back on the couch.

Mary cleared her throat. “Not really. No. To be honest, I was aiming for that adorable blush of yours.” Mary explained leaning in closer to Zelda. As if on cue, the blush spread on Zelda’s neck and up her cheeks. “Oh there it is.” Mary teased her and traced Zelda’s neck with her fingers.

Zelda could feel Lilith’s breath against her cheek while her touch sent goosebumps all over her body. The brunette lowered her head and placed a kiss on her neck. A soft gasp escaped Zelda’s lips. She could feel her body vibrating with need and lust when Lilith sucked on her tender skin a bit forcefully.

With a growl, Zelda pushed Lilith down on the couch, sending the brunette’s glass fly from her hand. Both women ignored the breaking of the glass completely. Lilith’s arms circled Zelda’s waist in an instant and pulled the redhead closer. In a heartbeat Zelda closed the remaining distance, linking their lips together, both women losing themselves into the moment.

Mary’s hands roamed Zelda’s body, taking into account every beautiful curve. She buried one hand into Zelda’s hair while the other settled on her ass. She bit on Zelda’s lower lip playfully. Zelda moaned into her mouth and Mary had to struggle to keep from tearing her clothes off when the sound vibrated through her.

Zelda held her weight on her elbow and slipped a hand under Mary’s t-shirt. She pulled back looking at the teacher under her in surprise as soon as she realized that the woman was not wearing a bra. Mary had the audacity to smile coyly at her. The auburn haired witch leaned down abruptly and captured the teacher’s lips. Mary opened her mouth deepening the kiss in an instance and Zelda could feel the other woman squirm under her.

Zelda felt Lilith squeeze her ass and a groan formed at the back of her throat. At the worst time imaginable, Zelda remembered the actual reason behind her visit. She hated to interrupt the heavy make out session but she couldn’t go through with it until she came clean.

“Wait. Wait.” She whispered against Mary’s lips and pulled away sitting up. She squeezed her eyes tightly but when they opened again, she saw Lilith just laying there worried, with her hair spread around the cushion messily and her lips swollen. God, even in that state she was absolutely gorgeous.

“Is something wrong? Did I do something?” it hurt Zelda hearing Lilith’s voice so vulnerable.

“No. Satan, no. You did everything right.” She quickly assured her and pulled her into a sitting position. “But before this moves further, I need to come clean about something.” She cleared her throat, trying to catch her breath. “You need to know what I am before we take the next step. If you want to take the next step after this.” She explained.

 _No, no, no._ Mary could literally feel as if her mind was screaming the two letter word in her head. _Please don’t say it to me now._ The worry was written all over Mary’s face.

“The thing is I don’t want our relationship to be based on lies. So I have to be honest with you.” Zelda turned away from Lilith and took a deep shuddering breath. “I am a witch.” Zelda murmured.

After Zelda’s confession, Mary felt as if she could literally hear her fantasy shattering into a million pieces. She stood there frozen not knowing how to react or what to say. “Before you think I am crazy or something, let me explain.” Zelda continued but Mary raised her hand to stop her.

“I know all about witches, Zelda. I know more than you think I do.”

Zelda’s eyes widened at that. “What do you mean? What do you know?”

Mary shook her head. Her heart screamed at her to tell the truth to Zelda. It screamed that Zelda would understand if she came clean too. If she explained everything so they could put everything aside and go back to the way they were. But her mind screamed to her to end it now before it became more difficult. It screamed that Zelda would never understand and would never forgive her for what she did. And how would she explain it all anyway. Wasn’t she supposed to still hate witches because they killed her parents? What would Zelda say, if she knew who Lilith actually was and how many witches had suffered in her hands?

Zelda noticed the silence and reached out to touch Mary’s arm but the teacher pulled away. The hurt on her face didn’t go unnoticed by Mary but even though it was killing her, she was struggling with her own demons at the moment. “I-I need some time, Zelda.” She whispered shaking her head. She didn’t dare to look at the redhead’s face at the moment.

“I understand.” Zelda nodded, the walls building up around her keeping any emotion locked tightly inside her. The cold tone of her voice cut Mary like a knife but still she didn’t dare to look at her. She felt the cushions move and heard Zelda’s soft footsteps walking away towards the door. She could picture her slipping into her heels and putting on her coat. She didn’t turn around to look but Zelda did, just before the door closed behind her with a soft click.

_What have I done? What the hell was I thinking?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ooops?
> 
> I honestly don't know if I want tissues, a drink or a tight hug after writing that last part.  
> Don't leave yet! Tell me what you think!  
> Will Mary run after Zelda or will she run away from Greendale forever to keep her favourite witch safe from herself and the nuns?  
> Stay tuned for the next chapter! I won't keep you waiting for long. I promise!


	9. Fix you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary makes an important decision. Mary opens up to Zelda as much as possible. Smut, smut and smut. Zelda opens up to Lilith and it gets too emotional!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING (read the last part of the notes here)  
> Once again I want to thank all of you for the love you are showing to this fanfic. You have no idea what it means and I will never stop saying that. So thank you and I love you all <3  
> I am also planning on answering to your comments soon. I am not ignoring you!  
> I am sorry this update took so long. I was away from home for a week so I've only managed to write a one-shot fanfic.
> 
> This is my first real attempt on writing smut, so don't judge me very hard. Okay?
> 
> About this chapter! I have a WARNING!  
> After the small dinner scene (you will know when. There's only one.), they will be implied/mentioned rape and talking about it. If by any chance you are triggered by it, please skip it. Also there will be a part that Zelda explains something important about their religion. If can't read the part that will trigger you and you want to know the rest, let me know and I will forward you that part. I don't want to make anyone uncomfortable.

_Idiot._

One word that Mary believed described her perfectly. How did she manage to screw up the happiest days of her life? How did she end up falling in love with the auburn haired witch? The entire situation had gone out of hand and it was too late to change it now.

Her choices were limited at this point. She would either come clean to Zelda about who she was and what she was doing there, hoping that the redhead would forgive her eventually or she would leave Greendale behind and lie to the nuns to keep Zelda, her family and the coven safe from any other witch hunters. Mary’s internal struggle was torturing her for days. She hadn’t heard anything from Zelda or her family but who would blame them. Certainly not Mary. The brunette barely slept at night for the past two days. She paced through her cottage thinking and weighing her options with Zelda always appearing in front of her eyes as if she was hallucinating. A few vases she had laying around paid the price of her frustration every time she felt as if she was suffocating.

She had laid her weapons on the table and glared at them as if that would make her problem go away. She held up her two revolvers and it was the first time she actually felt how heavy they were in her hands. Each weapon of hers and especially the dagger, felt heavier than ever now that she realized what she was doing for her entire life. She was a monster. No matter how hard she denied it in the past, she was an actual monster. She was killing innocent people she didn’t even know because she believed what the nuns had told her about witches. But how could Mary keep on believing that entire load of crap about witches when she actually got to know some of them. She spent two years in Greendale and she had never seen the witches harm anyone. The same could not be said for Mary though, could it? Not with all of that blood on her hands.

The annoying ringtone she had chosen for Mother Superior’s calls, pulled her away from her misery. She had not made a decision yet and the nun was the last person Mary wanted to talk to. She declined the call and tossed it away from her. The day went by in a blur and so did the next one; with Mary trapped inside of her own head and the nightmares that kept her up almost all night.

Mary was glad for the time away from school. She didn’t know if she could handle seeing Sabrina at the moment. The girl’s demeanor reminded her of Zelda way too much. Not to mention that Sabrina would definitely have questions whether Zelda said something to her family or not.

After four days of self-pitying Mary decided what she had to do. She grabbed her forgotten phone from the table and typed a message.

_The coven is gone.  
Each and every one of them.  
Don’t worry, I didn’t leave evidence behind.  
Everything has been taken care of.  
Now I would appreciate it if I could spent some time away from all of this.  
It’s time to take a few days off. I will let you know when I am ready to get back._

She sent the message to the nuns taking care of that end completely. Or at least she hoped she did. The next step was the hardest. It was the best for Zelda and her family. It was the safest choice even if it was the last thing she wanted to do.

Mary loaded the suitcases in her car and glanced at the cottage one last time. _It’s for the better._ She thought to herself. A lone tear slid down her cheek but she didn’t bother to wipe it off. She was leaving Lilith behind and she could barely deal with it.

She slammed the door of her car shut and slammed her foot on the gas, watching the cottage disappear from her mirror as she drove away. She didn’t even realize when more tears started to fall.

It took her 30 minutes to reach the ‘Greendale’ sign. The slam of the breaks scared even herself even though she was the one to step on the pedal. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t leave Zelda. She didn’t want to leave the only woman who actually brought out her best self. For once she was being selfish; selfish and in love. Mary gripped the steering wheel. Yes. _Yes, I am in love with her._ If the nun found out that Mary lied to her about the coven, she would, without a doubt, take matters into her own hands and Mary wouldn’t be there to save Zelda. With her mind made up, she step on the gas pedal and took an 180˚ turn. For once she was doing something to make herself happy. Granted, she believed that Zelda deserved someone better than Mary, but that was a choice Zelda would have to make herself. She owed her at least that much. She would prove to the auburn haired witch and her family how much they meant to her and when the time was right, she would confess everything to them, hoping that they would accept her in spite of her previous mistakes.

The moment she arrived back at the cottage, she took the suitcases back inside. She grabbed her weapons and that blasted amulet and threw them into the back of an old cabinet behind some linens and tablecloths she never used. She grabbed her keys and headed for her car again. It was about time she fixed things with Zelda. The image of the hurt on Zelda’s face which was covered by her stone-cold mask was still torturing her mind. With eyes glued on the road and determination set on Mary’s face, the brunette drove straight to the Mortuary. She was already musing over the smell of jasmine and the heavy odor of cigarettes which was all Zelda.

* * *

The auburn haired witch was sitting at her desk back at the Mortuary. Ever since she told Lilith the truth about who they were, she hadn’t managed to sleep at all. She was locked in that office and depending on her mood, she was either downing whiskey or sipping tea trying to keep herself for falling apart. She hadn’t said anything to her sister yet even though she could see the worry on her family’s faces.

The more it took Lilith to contact her again the scarier it was for Zelda. By now the redhead felt like a zombie dragging her feet around the house in ungodly hours of the night and barely eating anything. She was a body filled with stress, alcohol, smoke and a tiny amount of witch at the moment.

So when the doorbell was rung, she jumped out of her skin. She tried to remember if anyone was at home so that she could ignore the doorbell but groaned when she realized that she was alone. The doorbell was rung once again. She dragged her feet to the door and threw it open with an angry “What?” which died on her lips the moment her eyes fell on Lilith.

One moment Zelda was staring into those pools of sparkling blue eyes and the next Lilith was hugging her tightly repeating the same phrase over and over again. _I am sorry_.

Zelda stood there frozen unable to believe that the brunette was there hugging her. She heard the deep inhale coming from the teacher followed by soft sobs. That was a bit too emotional than Zelda was used to. She didn’t know how to handle it, so she let her instinct take over instead of listening to what her mind was telling her. She needed that hug ever since she left the cottage that night. Her arms wrapped around Lilith’s back as she listened to her sobs. She was so lost in the moment that she only realized that a few of her own tears had slid down her cheeks when Lilith pulled away to look at her. “Hi.” Lilith murmured. To be honest two urges were fighting inside of Zelda.

One was to slap her for making her wait so long and the other one was to kiss her because she missed the silly teacher.

“Zelda, I am sorry. I really am.” Lilith murmured. “I think I freaked out a bit.”

“I noticed.” Zelda huffed crossing her arms in front of her chest after wiping away her tears.

“It wasn’t because you are a witch.” She confessed.

That was certainly not what Zelda expected Lilith to say. She tried to think what other reason Lilith needed to freak out and disappear for so many days. She opened her mouth to ask her but Lilith beat her to it. “I realized something else that frightened me more than the fact of you doing magic.”

Zelda tilted her head waiting for her to elaborate. “Zelda, you make me feel things that no one has ever made me feel before. These feelings are entirely new to me. I don’t know how to handle them. I told you before; I haven’t had a serious relationship in my life.”

“Then why did you freak out when I said was a witch. You gave me a whole speech about working this relationship thing out together and you disappeared the moment I found the guts to reveal my biggest secret to you.” Zelda had a point there and both of them knew that.

“C-can we sit down? I promise I’ll explain everything and you can ask me anything you want.” Lilith suggested with a soft smile. The tears in her eyes made it hard for Zelda to refuse. She waved towards the living room and closed the front door behind them.

She watched Lilith taking a seat on the couch and followed suit. “Okay. I am listening.” Was she being a stone cold bitch at the moment? Yes she was. But she had her reasons. She had opened up herself to the teacher, which to be frank was something Zelda Spellman never did, and was sent away a moment later. Her pride and her ego were wounded.

“Okay. Like I mentioned that night, I know a lot about witches. Or better yet I’ve heard a lot of things. Scary things. For example, I was told that my parents were murdered by witches. I was told that this is all the witches did. Kill humans. So yes. I was afraid of witches.” She explained. Zelda was hanging on her every word. She was a bit shocked to hear that Lilith’s parents were murdered. She made a note to ask her about it later. Being killed by witches was a possibility, just like being killed by humans. It doesn’t matter on which team you belong to. It depends on how you are as a person. It was like the human’s saying. _You can’t judge a book by its cover._ The same thing goes for witches and humans alike.

“But then when you told me you were a witch, I wasn’t scared. Maybe for a fleeting moment but, Zelda, I thought back to when I met your niece. That girl is so naïve and kind that she couldn’t hurt a fly. And your sister? She is the bubbliest, most adorable person I have ever met. I could never see her hurt anyone. Don’t get me started on Ambrose. He appears to be such a tough guy but you and I both know that he is the softest out of all four of you.” Lilith chuckled at that. Zelda couldn’t help the proud smile that she wore. She agreed with Lilith on all of those. The only way she could see her family or herself hurting someone was to protect each other and themselves.

“As for you Zelda Spellman, yes maybe you could actually hurt someone but only if it meant that you would protect your family. Not to protect you, but to protect your family and everyone you love.” Zelda couldn’t argue with that. She knew it to be true. “So I realized that you were not like the witches I heard about and I don’t have any reason to be afraid of you.” She shrugged.

“In conclusion the reason I disappeared was because of my feelings and how they actually scared me.” Lilith moved closer to Zelda and took her hands. Zelda didn’t pull away. She was holding her breath waiting for what she thought Lilith was going to say. “I am in love with you, Zelda Spellman. You can’t understand how fast or how hard you turned my world upside down.” Lilith looked at Zelda worried when she didn’t say anything or when her neutral face didn’t change.

“Are all your monologues so lengthy?” Zelda asked still keeping her expressions neutral. She could see that Lilith didn’t know how to reply to that. For once Lilith was speechless and didn’t know what was coming until Zelda started laughing.

Lilith scoffed which made Zelda laughed harder. “Silly human.” Zelda grabbed her face and pulled her in for long overdue kiss. A few seconds later they both pulled away with matching smiles on her face. “If you pull something like that again, Lilith, I swear to Hecate, you will find yourself in the pits of Hell before you can say witch.”

“Why are you being such a bitch now?” Lilith rolled her eyes. “Oh I forgot it’s like second nature to you.” She teased her which only made Zelda laugh harder. It felt like they had gone back to how they were. Teasing and pushing each other’s buttons.

As soon as she calmed down she cupped Lilith’s cheek and stared into her eyes. It was the first time she noticed the dark circles under her eyes.

“Have you even managed to get some sleep? You look awful.” Zelda caressed her cheek to show her that she was worried about her rather than making fun of her.

“I could ask you the same thing.”

“Well, we both know who to blame for this.” Zelda raised a cocky eyebrow.

“Oh shut up, witch.”

“Come here and make me.” She was challenging her because she knew that Lilith never backed down from a challenge. In mere seconds, Lilith proved her right by pinning her down on the couch and leaning over her.

“Don’t test me, witch!”

“Or what?” The mirth was identical in both sets of eyes.

Lilith leaned down and claimed Zelda’s lips with her own. The moan, which formed in the back of Zelda’s throat, made Lilith’s insides burn in excitement. Lilith held Zelda’s arms over her head. She growled when Zelda deepened the kiss and pushed her leg between her thighs. With each move the women made, the hem of Zelda’s skirt rode higher and higher up her creamy thighs. Lilith grabbed one thigh with her free hand and dug her fingers in it. The sounds the redhead was making vibrated through Lilith and made her ache for more.

“As much as I love this make out session, I’d rather continue this somewhere more private.” Lilith whispered against Zelda’s lips.

“No problem.” Zelda teleported them in her bedroom in a flash, leaving Lilith completely dazed by the sudden use of magic. The distraction was used in Zelda’s advantage since she managed to pin Lilith under her with one knee on each side of her thighs and Lilith’s arms pinned over her head.

“This is not fair.” Lilith pouted even though she was too excited to even try to overpower Zelda.

“I don’t play fair, darling.” Zelda whispered against her ear. She lowered her head and latched on the brunette’s neck, sucking, biting and kissing until a small hickey started to form. Lilith couldn’t help the soft moan that slipped past her lips. The witch licked the hickey softly and pressed soft kisses on the other woman’s collarbone. She let go of her arms and worked on the buttons on her black shirt. With each button being popped, Lilith’s red lace bra was revealed to Zelda.

“Fuck!” Zelda murmured when she pulled back to look at the sight in front of her. She saw Lilith’s hair being sprawled all over the bed and her beautiful flushed face, her toned stomach and her playful bra. Zelda was doomed.

“Like what you see?” Lilith teased her.

“You have no idea.”

Zelda captured her lips once again. Lilith arched her back and Zelda helped her slip out of the shirt without breaking the kiss.

“I need you naked now.” Lilith whispered against her lips. “I want to feel you, Zelda.” Her voice wavered under her needs. Zelda sat up again and pulled her blouse over her head tossing it aside. The lust in Lilith’s eyes, unleashed something that’s been buried deep inside her. The redhead wanted to taste her. She climbed off of her and pulled the brunette’s pants off, revealing matching red lace underwear. She cursed under her breath and spread Lilith’s legs apart. She could see Lilith squirming under her touch but she was taking her sweet time.

She stroked her over her sodden underwear and Lilith was unable to stop her whimpering. “All of this for me?” Zelda teased her pulling away. She removed Lilith’s underwear and lowered her head. She paid attention to the area around Lilith’s clit but she never touched it. It was driving Lilith crazy. The brunette was squirming more and more trying to have the contact she craved and Zelda denied.

“Zelda, for the love of everything holy and unholy, stop torturing me!” she growled.

Zelda realized that Lilith had enough teasing for one day and allowed Lilith to have what she craved. The moment her tongue touched her clit, she drove two fingers inside her. The brunette moaned loudly and started grinding against Zelda’s fingers. She was so worked up that the moment Zelda started circling her clit with her thumb, she felt Lilith throbbing and clenching around her fingers. The redhead pulled back to look at the woman while her fingers worked on her.

Lilith had gripped the sheets tightly into her hands, an animalistic growl escaped her lips the moment the orgasm hit her. Her whole body was shuddering for a few seconds until every part of her body went limp. Zelda watched her flushed cheeks, the ecstasy on her face and her chest rising and falling with her heavy breathing. It was the most erotic thing she had ever seen.

She lied on her side watching her. She pushed her hair out of her face and smiled at her. “You are breathtaking.” She murmured with a smile and leaned down to kiss her softly. Even though Lilith was in no state to speak, she managed to return the kiss happily.

As soon as Lilith managed to catch her breath, she turned on her side. She placed a hand on Zelda’s neck and pulled her into a soft emotional kiss. She ran her hand down her shoulder and behind her back until her fingers came in contact with the clasp of Zelda’s black bra. With one move she had it unhooked. Zelda pulled back a little surprised. “Quite the skill.” She smirked.

“Let me show exactly how skilled I am, my sweet witch.” Lilith muttered with a mischievous smirk. The brunette pulled Zelda’s bra away and pressed soft kisses all over her body exploring the vast expanse of skin. She didn’t bother to remove the redhead’s skirt. It was bunched up around Zelda’s waist by now which Lilith found extremely sexy. She ran her fingers over Zelda’s core while her mouth paid attention to Zelda’s perfect breasts.

It didn’t take long for Zelda to squirm under the brunette’s touch since the redhead was already too worked up. She grinded against Lilith’s fingers trying to increase the friction but the underwear was only getting in the way. Lilith smirked against Zelda’s skin. “My, my. What an impatient witch!”

“Damn you, Lilith.” Zelda cursed which drew a few husky chuckles from Lilith.

“Now, now. Where are your manners?” Lilith raised her head to look at Zelda with a playful smile. Zelda glared at her. She slipped her hand into her underwear and toyed with Zelda’s clit.

“P-please, Lilith.” Zelda stuttered through a moan.

“Mhm, that’s better.” Lilith pressed a kiss on Zelda’s mouth and buried her face in her neck. When she slipped two fingers inside her, Zelda’s breath was caught in her throat. The auburn haired witch groaned loudly and buried her hand between Lilith’s brown locks. When Lilith picked up the pace thrusting harder into her, Zelda’s tightened her hold on the teacher’s hair. She was so close. She could feel it. Apparently it only took two more thrusts and Lilith’s sexy voice in her ear. “Come for me, my beautiful witch.”

Zelda’s vision exploded into white static as she rode the wave of pleasure. Lilith made sure that Zelda was completely spent before she removed her fingers slowly out. Zelda watched Lilith through half open eyes. A loud whimper burst from her lips when she saw Lilith licking her fingers clean. “Damn you, witch. I could get addicted to this taste.” She murmured and pulled Zelda into a lazy kiss.

The two women lied on their backs with their heads turned to each other, smiling lazily and tiredly at each other. Lilith wrapped her arms around Zelda and pulled the covers over their naked bodies. Zelda removed the constricting skirt of hers and snuggled close to the brunette. They didn’t say anything. They didn’t have to. The silence around them was comfortable; holding onto each other was enough until sleep and exhaustion overtook them both.

* * *

Zelda opened her eyes slowly. It took her some time to fully wake up and remember where she was and what happened before she fell asleep but when she did, she couldn’t stop the smile from spreading on her lips. She glanced at the clock realizing that they slept all through noon but she didn’t want to wake up Lilith just yet. She raised her head carefully to look at her. She was so peaceful while she slept, so serene.

Zelda had to stop herself from reaching out and touching her sharp features, tracing her nose, her sharp cheekbones, her perfect jaw line and her soft lips. She couldn’t describe how happy she was because of Lilith. Granted, she was furious and disappointed at her when she sent her away that night and when she appeared in her doorstep that day but after hearing her say all of those words, she couldn’t stay angry at her. It was literally impossible.

Only now did Zelda realize what that meant for their relationship. Her secret was out and Lilith didn’t leave. She was still there. Now Zelda could do what she longed to do the most; show Lilith her world. But before that was possible, she knew that she would have to answer Lilith’s questions. She knew there must be a lot but this time she was not worried.

“What are you thinking about?” Lilith muttered sleepily startling Zelda. The redhead smiled and cupped her cheek pulling her in for a sweet kiss.

“All of this.” Zelda muttered against her lips.

“Rocked your world, didn’t I?” she said teasingly. Zelda shoved her away playfully.

“You are a nightmare.”

Lilith chuckled and wrapped a hand around Zelda’s stomach. “Well, I am your nightmare but it’s too late to back down now.”

“All jokes aside, I was thinking about you knowing my secret. I suppose you would have questions.” She explained.

Lilith contemplated that for a while before nodding. “I have a few but can they wait until after we eat something? I am famished.” As if on cue, Lilith’s stomach made a growling sound that made Zelda laugh. She got out of bed wearing only her underwear and slipped into a clean maroon dress. She could feel Lilith’s eyes watching her every move and she had never felt more wanted in her life. She turned around with a smirk and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“Get up, you hungry monster. I am not bringing you food in bed.” She rolled her eyes at Lilith’s whine but she waited while Lilith got dressed again. The two women made their way downstairs laughing and teasing each other until they stumbled into the kitchen. Three sets of eyes turned to look at them surprised. The two women halted and stared right back. The weird silence and the staring continued for what seemed like ages until Ambrose was the one to break it.

“It was about time.” He exclaimed with a grin. “No offence, Aunt Zelda, but sulking and mopping around is definitely not your thing.”

Zelda gasped. “I do not mop or sulk, Ambrose.”

“I beg to differ.” Sabrina muttered.

“Tried any new spells today, Sabrina?” Lilith said in an attempt to pull their focus from Zelda before she had an aneurysm. She was already blushing embarrassed at their teasing.

Sabrina choked on her food at the question.

“Oh don’t be so shocked. Zelda told me. You don’t need to hide from me. Your secret’s safe with me.” Lilith squeezed the girl’s shoulder comfortingly. Lilith sat down on her usual seat on the table and Zelda took her sister’s which was next to Lilith. Hilda eyed her confused. Zelda always sat at the head of the table but this time the redhead wanted to be as close to the teacher as possible. Ambrose and Sabrina entertained Lilith with witching stories while Zelda stared lovingly at the brunette teacher but Hilda watched the couple with a smile on her face; happy to see her sister like this for once.

* * *

Later that night, the two sisters and Lilith sat by the fire in silence. Hilda was knitting quietly in her armchair while Zelda shared the couch with Lilith. The auburn haired witch was snuggling at Lilith’s side while the brunette ran her fingers through her hair. Lilith had not yet questioned Zelda about witchcraft and Zelda wondered if it was because Hilda was around at the time. The older sister didn’t mind talking about everything that had happened in front of her younger sister. She wanted to share all the events that had happened in their church and Hilda was there to witness it all.

Slowly she pulled away and turned to look at the teacher. She noticed that the brunette was staring at the fireplace lost in thought. She placed her hand on her knee to get her attention. It worked almost immediately with Lilith’s bright blue eyes staring back at her. “If you are thinking about the whole witch thing, you can ask whatever you want. I don’t mind answering your questions.” Zelda smiled assuring and Hilda raised her eyes to look at the two over her glasses.

“I better leave you two to talk.” Hilda stood up with a smile.

“You don’t have to do that.” Zelda shook her head.

“That’s okay. I think you should talk about this alone. Plus, I am getting sleepy so I’ll turn in early.” Hilda kissed Zelda’s temple knowing that it required a lot of strength to share her story. It wasn’t a light one.

“Goodnight, my darlings.”

“Goodnight.” They both said in unison.

They watched Hilda walking out of the room and then turned back to each other.

“So?”

“Okay, I guess there are still a lot of things I don’t know about witches. I probably want to know everything. But I do have one particular question.” Lilith bit her lip. “The day I first met you when I agitated you so much that you turned red with anger, I don’t know if you remember-“

“I remember very well.” Zelda rolled her eyes but waited for Lilith to continue.

“You mentioned Satan which I found it suspicious. I mean I haven’t heard anyone swear on him before. Did it mean something or do witches use it as an expression?”

Zelda was surprised that this was the first question that came on Lilith’s mind. Of all the things she could ask that was the first that popped into her mind.

“Okay.” Zelda nodded and leaned back on the couch. “For me to answer this question, I have to start on the beginning.” Zelda remained silent for about one minute trying to figure out where to begin.

“We used to be satanic witches for the most part of our life. Swearing to Satan or thanking him and praying to him was something customary to our religion. We used to draw our powers from him.” Zelda explained giving a few seconds for Lilith to express any questions that might pop into her head.

“Used to?” Lilith raised an eyebrow confused.

“That’s right. It’s been like that for quite some time now. I suppose I have Sabrina to thank for that among other things. She was the one that opened my eyes eventually even if I was too stubborn to see.” Zelda stood up and walked to the bookcase. She pulled out a white book and handed it to the teacher.

Mary felt a tingle spread all over her body as soon as she touched the book. She shuddered, making Zelda look at her curiously. “What’s that?” Lilith asked opening the big tome.

“Two years ago, I married our High Priest. His name was Faustus Blackwood and he was the one Satan supposedly spoke through when it came to our coven.” Zelda stood up again and walked to the liquor cabinet. Mary’s eyes watched her closely waiting for her to continue.

“When we reach the age of 16, all satanic witches and warlocks sign our name in the Book of the Beast.” She explained handing one glass to Lilith and holding tightly on her own.

“Satan’s book?” Lilith guessed.

“Correct. By doing that we are selling our souls and bodies, I suppose, to Lucifer. Up until two years ago, I never thought anything of it. I obeyed my Dark Lord’s commands and so did Hilda and Ambrose.” Zelda sighed. Her stomach tightened uncomfortably at the memories.

“What changed?” the brunette asked. Zelda sipped a big amount of whiskey before she continued.

“What didn’t change?” she chuckled humorlessly. “Sabrina turned 16. She started asking questions; questions I didn’t even think myself. She didn’t want to sign her name because it felt as if she was giving away her freedom and I realized she was right. Giving up your freedom for power is not worth it. Unfortunately it took me a marriage to a horrible misogynist pig to realize that.” She sat back on the couch heavily and glared at her glass.

“You didn’t love him?” Lilith asked attentively.

“No.” Zelda shook her head. Memories of her under the Caligari Spell flashed into her mind and made her whole body shudder in disgust. “I wanted his power. I thought that if I got married to him, I’ll have the same power. Maybe I would become his High Priestess.” She scoffed and drained her glass slamming it on the table. “You know what I got instead?”

At Lilith’s negative shake, Zelda continued. “I sold myself to another man. Again.” Mary’s blood froze at that confession. “He casted a spell on me.” Zelda’s eyes were filled by tears now and Mary had the urge to hug Zelda as tightly as possible to forget all that. She also knew that Zelda was in a place that a hug wouldn’t help her. Not until she finished telling the story. “What kind of spell?” she whispered softly.

“The kind of spell that should never be used to a woman. Never. I could see everything, I could feel everything but I couldn’t get my body to obey me. I was the perfect Stepford wife on the outside, pleasing him and obeying his orders. But inside, I was fighting with my body, I was screaming and begging for someone to hear. I had no control on my actions or my body. I was trapped. Eventually my family realized that something was terribly wrong.” The tears fell steadily by now but Zelda stared at the fire. She couldn’t even look at Lilith at the moment. She was embarrassed. “My sweet sister, Hecate bless her heart, broke the spell.”

Mary hadn’t even felt her own tears falling down her cheeks. That warlock she wouldn’t mind killing, dragging her blade over his skin time and time again. Each cut precise and not too deep, just enough to cause him pain and torture.

Zelda’s words pulled her away from her dark thoughts. “I realized something the night the spell broke. I worshipped a man that didn’t help me when I needed him and I married a man who shattered me completely. It was time I woke up.” Zelda pointed at the book and its title.

«Θεά Εκάτη: Φως και μαγεία» was the title but Lilith couldn’t understand it.

“What does this mean?”

“Goddess Hecate: Light and Magic. It’s Greek Mythology.” Zelda explained and took the magic into her hands. She brushed her fingers over it. “I had it in my possession for years but I always thought that it was just a myth. I found a spell in it and I thought _Well, what do I have to lose?_ so I casted it. It was a summoning spell. To summon the Goddess herself.”

Lilith’s eyes widened. “Did she come?”

“She did. I didn’t see her but I felt her in the room. I felt her power when the room was filled with a white light I’ve never seen before in my life.” She explained with a smile but the tears in her eyes didn’t completely leave. “I prayed to her. Asking for her protection and her guidance in my new path. That’s all I asked for. She gave me more than that. She gave me powers stronger than anything I have felt before. I called it white magic. Not dark like Satan’s or light like the fake God’s.”

Mary felt the goosebumps rise on her skin. “What about the rest of the coven and that terrible High Priest?” Mary could easily take care of him if she needed.

“He has been taken cared off. By his own daughter to be exact. When he realized I was awake again, he couldn’t risk me telling the entire coven what he did. Instead of trying to kill me he tried to poison the entire coven and flee. The coward! We lost many brothers and sisters that night. But Prudence, his daughter, intervened before it was too late for all of them. She killed him and came to us for help. With Hilda’s magical potions and Hecate’s powers we managed to save half of our coven.” Zelda started crying again, mourning the witches and warlocks that were lost because they put the faith to the wrong man. Like she did.

“I talked to them about Hecate the day they all recovered. They agreed to follow the Goddess and decided to appoint me as their new High Priestess and also the Directrix of the Academy. We don’t have a lot of information regarding Hecate but I am working on it.” She was proud of herself for moving past what Blackwood did to her and the grip Satan had on them. Mary was looking at her with so much pride in her eyes. Zelda lowered her head again. “I am still having nightmares sometimes.” She muttered fearfully.

“Zelda, did he…?”

Zelda nodded and burst into tears again but Mary didn’t hesitate this time. She closed the space between them and wrapped her arms tightly around Zelda. “I am sorry. I am sorry you had to go through that, my sweet Zelda. I am so sorry.” Lilith whispered into her ear, holding her and rocking her softly. She cried alongside Zelda both too emotional to speak for quite some time. Mary pressed soft kisses on Zelda’s temple.

The two women stayed on the couch holding onto each other until the fire died down and the room started to get chilly. Mary pulled away slowly and Zelda snapped her head towards her fearfully. Mary smiled at her and leaned in, linking their lips into a soft kiss to assure her that she wasn’t going anywhere. “I think we should get some sleep.” She suggested and Zelda nodded at that.

“W-will you stay?” the auburn haired witch asked hesitantly. At Lilith’s nod, she felt the weight being lifted from her shoulders. The brunette took her hand and pulled her up. “Lilith?”

“Yes.” Lilith stopped to look at her.

“Hilda doesn’t know. The details, I mean. She suspects, I suppose.” Lilith cupped her cheek and stroked it with her thumb cleaning the wet trails the tears had left behind.

“I won’t say anything. Thank you for trusting me with this.” She whispered and kissed her softly. Mary hated herself. Zelda had laid her soul bare in front of Mary and she couldn’t even reveal her name to her. _How stupid was she?_ She needed to come clean to the witch before it was too late. She wouldn’t bare it if she hurt her more.

Zelda smiled softly. The two women walked to Zelda’s room holding hands. All through the night Mary held Zelda tightly in her arms while they slept. Lilith’s scent and strong hold kept the nightmares away from Zelda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, first of all I need a hug after this. I need loads of hugs after this.
> 
> Secondly, what did you, guys, think? Was it good?  
> Is this moving too fast or not fast enough?  
> Let me know!  
> I love hearing from you ^-^  
> Next up: Zelda takes Lilith to the Academy?


	10. Academic Shenanigans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Soft soft and smutty. What else. One chapter with no big reveals and no drama but with two witches in love. The two witches can finally take a break. How long will it last?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all your kudos and comments, guys. This means the world to me.  
> Not a lot of words this time.  
> I just hope you'll enjoy the newest chapter. It's 7am and I am officially spent.
> 
> Enjoyyyy <3

When Zelda opened her eyes, she found Lilith sleeping on her stomach snoring with her mouth slightly open. If she knew how to take pictures with her phone, she would definitely snap a photo just so she could tease her later. The redhead propped her head on her elbow watching the teacher sleep. She remembered the previous night and felt so relieved that she had managed to confess everything to the brunette. The woman was so understanding and patient while Zelda told her her story. She couldn’t have asked for a better listener. A soft sigh drew her attention back to the woman sleeping next to her.

The covers were bunched around Mary’s waist leaving her back exposed to the morning chill. The nightdress she was wearing wasn’t really helping Zelda’s case. But what should she expect? Lilith was wearing her own nightdress and Zelda wasn’t known for her modesty when it came to nightclothes.

Lilith looked so delectable in that particular morning. The witch was struggling not to reach out and touch her but in the end she lost the battle. She moved a bit closer and grazed her fingertips over Lilith’s back. She continued to caress the soft skin until the other woman reacted a bit. The brunette moaned and Zelda grinned at the effect she was having to the woman.

“Zelda, what are you doing?” Lilith murmured sleepily.

The redhead leaned over her back pressing soft kisses on all of the available skin. “Nothing, my dear.” She muttered brushing the tip of her nose between the other woman’s shoulder blades.

“That doesn’t feel like nothing to me.” Lilith opened her eyes and lifted her head to look at the woman behind her.

Zelda chuckled and pressed another kiss on Lilith’s back. Her hair fell against Lilith’s skin tickling her and arousing her at the same time. When she moved lower she noticed a weird mark on Lilith’s back. “Is that a symbol?” she asked leaning in to take a closer look. Lilith glanced at what Zelda was looking with so much intensity.

“That’s a birthmark. I think.” The brunette shrugged and fell back into the pillow.

“Lilith, that doesn’t look like a birthmark. It looks like a rune.” The auburn haired witch pointed out but Lilith pulled her off her.

“Let it go, my sweet witch. It’s just a stupid birthmark. You may think that I am special but I am not.” She chuckled again and pulled Zelda into a heated kiss. The witch completely forgot about the mark the moment Lilith’s lips were on hers. She deepened the kiss and bit playfully on Lilith’s lower lip making her growl.

Zelda pulled away with a teasing smile. “Sorry to cut this short but I have to get ready. I am needed in the Academy today.” Before Lilith had the chance to blink Zelda was gone and into the bathroom. “Breakfast will be ready by now. Why don’t you get dressed and join Hilda downstairs? I’ll join you in a few minutes.” Zelda called out from the shower.

“You are mean!” Lilith groaned and dragged her body out of the bed. She changed into her clothes and walked downstairs with a pout. How dared Zelda torture her like that and leave her hot and bothered? Oh she would definitely pay for that later. As soon as her foot hit the last step, all the smells coming from the kitchen erased the pout in an instant.

Mary walked into the kitchen and caught Hilda cooking some pancakes into the kitchen. “Someone’s chirpy today.” She pointed out and the blonde witch turned to her with a happy smile.

“Good morning, love.” She greeted her.

“Auntie is always that chirpy in the morning.” Ambrose chuckled as he walked in a few seconds after Mary. “But then again, Aunt Hilda is always chirpy.” He chuckled and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

Hilda whacked him with the wooden spook playfully. “Oh shush you!”

Mary laughed at the domestic scene in front of her. Her footsteps carried her closer to the table but when she was about to sit she noticed a weird looking dog sitting in a basket in the corner unmoving. Curiosity got the better of her and before she could grasp what she was doing, she found herself kneeled in front of it, inspecting it closely. She was surprised that she hadn’t noticed it before. The dog was obviously embalmed.

“That’s Vinegar Tom.” Ambrose offered the information pulling Mary’s gaze from the dog. “He is, well, used to be Aunt Zelda’s familiar.”

“Poor Zelds had locked herself in her room for days when Vinnie T passed. She couldn’t bear the thought of burying him so…” Hilda supplied with a wave towards Tom. Mary turned her gaze to the dog. Her heart ached a bit when she heard the story. She caught a doggy ear between her fingers caressing it softly. When she heard the unmistaken sound of Zelda’s heels against the staircase, the brunette pulled away from the dog. She was reluctant to remind Zelda of any bad memories especially since she was in a very good mood that morning. The other two sensed the shift in the brunette and also pulled the focus away from the dog. In fact Hilda turned to Mary as soon as she took her seat and made her an offer the teacher couldn’t refuse.

“So Lilith, you mentioned that you need cooking lessons?”

* * *

Later that morning, after Mary returned to the cottage and Zelda left for the Academy, the brunette received a text from her witch asking her to meet her outside. The moment Mary stepped outside she spotted Zelda leaning against her black Mercedes with her sunglasses hiding her eyes and her stunning smile on her lips.

Mary’s heart was pounding at the breathtaking sight. She didn’t even realize when her legs carried her closer.

“Not that I don’t love the surprise, but what are you doing here?” she asked after stealing a kiss.

Zelda wrapped her arms around her waist pulling her flush against her chest. “Can’t I pop in for a visit to see you?”

“Zelda…” Mary raised an eyebrow not convinced at all.

“Alright you caught me.” Zelda chuckled. “I actually wanted to take you somewhere today. Are you busy?”

“But I thought you were going to spend your day at the Academy.” Mary’s brows furrowed.

“Are you busy or not, Lilith?” Zelda grinned as soon as she spotted Lilith’s suspicious look.

“No, I am not.”

“Great. Get in the car.” Zelda pushed Lilith away but not before pulling her into a deep kiss. That was the second time in a date that the witch managed to arouse her only to leave her standing like that. 

“You are not the boss of me, Zelda Spellman.” Mary scoffed glaring. She turned around and walked to the other side of the car, while Zelda howled with laughter. Mary slipped into the passenger’s seat crossing her arms in front of her chest and pouting like a little kid. It only caused Zelda to laugh more.

“My pouty human. You are so adorable.” Zelda teased her and even though Mary wanted to appear frustrated and mad at the witch, she couldn’t hide the blush from her cheeks. She couldn’t even hide behind that mane of hair, since she chose to wear them in a bun. Zelda’s amused smile wasn’t wiped from her face during the whole drive.

When Zelda parked the car in the middle of nowhere, Mary looked around expecting to see something. Anything at all. But she was met with trees and grass. Nothing more, nothing less. “What the hell are we doing in the middle of nowhere? Are you going to kill me and bury me in the middle of the woods?” Mary looked at Zelda all joking aside.

“You are too stubborn to be killed, Lilith.” Zelda joked stepping out of the car and Lilith followed after her. The witch stopped between two weird looking trees and waited for the brunette to catch up. As soon as Mary stepped beside Zelda, a huge building materialized in front of her eyes.

“What! How? This wasn’t here a minute ago.” Mary’s eyes turned to Zelda. Zelda couldn’t help but chuckle at how wide with wonder they were.

“It’s called magic?” Zelda offered earning her another glare from the brunette. “Getting under someone’s skin is fun. You were right.”

“Did you bring me here to make fun of me or what?” Mary huffed and made to turn around and leave but Zelda grabbed on her hand quickly.

“I am sorry. You are right.” She whispered pulling her close. She hesitantly pressed her lips against Lilith’s in a quiet promise not to tease her again. They took their time with a kiss, enjoying the warm feeling it spread in both of them.

“Fine, I’ll stay. But if you start with me again, I’ll be out of here before you can blink.” Mary warned her. Zelda nodded trying to keep the serious expression on her face. She tugged on her hand a bit and Mary followed her inside. In mere seconds, her mouth fell open. If she was a cartoon her chin would have slammed on the floor by now. After recovering from the initial shock, Mary crossed the foyer with wide eyes which tried to take everything in. Zelda followed her close behind her taken by the overwhelming surprise on Lilith’s face.

Zelda took her hand and leaned closer. “I thought you would like to see the Academy.” She whispered in her ear. Mary walked further into the building finally coming across the Great Hall. “Don’t you have a class to attend?” Zelda snapped at two warlocks that were staring at the two women. Both of them disappeared hurriedly out of the room. Mary hadn’t even noticed. If she did, she would definitely comment on the bossy Directrix.

“Want to see the rest?” she asked and pulled Mary towards another room not waiting for an answer. It would have been a positive one anyway. They both knew that.

Along the way, Zelda introduced Lilith to Prudence and Nick. Prudence was eyeing her suspiciously and even tried to get into her head. It was not the first time a witch tried to use telepathy against her. Mary knew the signs. But even though the brunette panicked at first, was relieved at Prudence annoyed glare. She was unsuccessful. Any witch that tried to read or manipulate Mary’s mind. Then Mary had blamed it on the amulet she never took off. But she wasn’t wearing it now. It confused her but before she had a chance to question it, Zelda pulled her into the library.

Mary was in awe upon seeing all the books with what could only be witch history, spells, demon information and anything she could imagine. Mary was a curious human being. She wanted to learn everything and anything she could. She looked at Zelda hesitantly and the redhead could almost read her mind. Well not literally but she could imagine what the woman wanted to ask but hesitated.

“You are free to use the library whenever you want.” Zelda offered with a smile. Of course the smile the brunette flashed at her took Zelda’s breath away. “But, some of these books are dangerous. Ask me about the book you want to read first. I’d rather not deal with a demon chasing after you, okay?” Zelda looked at her pointedly. Mary nodded completely brushing off Zelda’s warning. She grabbed on a book closer at her. The moment she tried to open it, Zelda slammed it close. “What did I just say?” she sighed.

“Sorry.” Mary smiled at her sheepishly. “May I read this one?”

“No. Not this one. Or at least not while I am not with you.” Zelda pulled the book away from Lilith. She scanned the shelves for a while pacing around. Mary stood there watching her with a smile; a million thoughts in her head. The redhead was so soft and caring even though she constantly hid it behind a cold exterior. She pretended she was this hard strict woman but ever since she allowed Mary to break down those walls, Mary had seen a different Zelda. A magnificent creature who cared more about her family than herself. She was exquisite. Mary could only pray to whichever God could hear her that she could become a part of Zelda’s family. _What? Is this really what I want?_

Her thoughts came as a shock. She stood there with wide eyes staring at the space Zelda was standing a minute ago. She was definitely not expecting that. Zelda stood in front of her for a few seconds calling her name but Mary was worlds away.

“Hey. You okay?” Zelda whispered shaking her a bit. Mary shook her head.

“Oh yeah yeah. Got lost in thought for a while there.” She reassured Zelda when she noticed the worry in her eyes.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, darling. Don’t worry.”

“Okay.” Zelda wasn’t entirely convinced but she decided to let it slide for the moment. “I think this is a book you will definitely enjoy.” Mary’s excitement returned to her face when Zelda pushed the book into her hands.

“Thank you.” Mary muttered pressing a kiss on Zelda’s cheek. It only made the redhead blush at that.

* * *

The last stop of the tour was Zelda’s office. It was actually far away from anything else which was something that Zelda really enjoyed. It was quiet and peaceful. She wasn’t always in the mood to listen to whiny or sex-crazed teenage witches and warlocks. She had two in the house and they were quite enough. Between Ambrose’s dramatics and Sabrina’s whining, Zelda had enough teenage antics to last her an eternity.

“Hey! That’s my chair.” Zelda huffed when Lilith made herself comfortable behind her desk. She circled her desk and crossed her arms in front of her chest looking pointedly at the brunette.

“So?” Lilith asked raising an eyebrow.

“I’d like it back please.”

“Hmm I don’t feel like giving it back to you. You are welcome to sit on my lap though.” Lilith grinned. She wiggled into the chair and hummed comfortably. She patted her leg. “I won’t judge you.”

Zelda contemplated it for a moment but it was unprofessional. Her students tended to burst through the door as if the devil himself chased after them for the most stupid reasons. “I’d rather not.”

“You are not getting it back then.” Lilith shrugged.

“Fine.” Zelda walked in front of Lilith and sat on the desk. She stared at Lilith trying to make her give up. Both of them were as stubborn as they come and neither backed down. Not until Zelda crossed her legs, making Mary do a double take. Had she seen well? Mary looked up at the witch narrowing her eyes. Zelda smirked and uncrossed her legs only to cross them back the opposite way. Mary jumped out of the chair with a gasp.

“Zelda Spellman!”

“Yes, dear?” Zelda smiled innocently.

“You are not wearing any underwear!” Mary looked at her disbelievingly. That minx! How dare she tease her like that?

“I have no idea what you are talking about.” Zelda feigned ignorance which only made Mary want to prove herself right. Which she was but the more Zelda denied it, the more it made Mary’s blood boil.

Mary took a step forward pressing her body against Zelda’s legs. “Do not lie to me witch.” She pulled her legs apart and hooked her fingers on her thighs. They stared at each other, identical smirks carved in both of their faces. Lilith advanced slowly forward ending up between Zelda’s legs. She brushed her fingers against Zelda’s. The redhead opened her lips slightly, an invisible force pulling her forward. Their lips collided in a fierce and blazing kiss. Zelda’s knees turned to jelly as soon as Lilith deepened the kiss. The brunette’s tongue fighting Zelda’s for dominance. The redhead was glad she wasn’t standing on her legs because she was certain they wouldn’t be able to support her.

Zelda felt Lilith’s finger sliding between her wet folds and gasped. She hadn’t even noticed when the woman pushed her skirt upwards exposing her thighs.

“I win.” Lilith muttered, her breath tickling Zelda’s lips. The auburn haired witch couldn’t even react to that. Not when Lilith’s finger was teasing her entrance and her thumb was toying with her clit.

“L-Lilith, w-we should stop. We shouldn’t do this here.” Her voice quivered and betrayed her. The danger of getting caught was exhilarating. Lilith’s other hand was still gripping on Zelda’s thigh tightly, her fingers digging into her skin keeping her in place when the witch tried to grind against her fingers.

“Oh no, my beautiful minx. We are not stopping. I know that’s not what you want.” She whispered seductively. Lilith caressed Zelda’s skin with soft kisses until she reached her neck. “I am gonna take my sweet time with you.” She bit down hard until she was certain that it was going to leave a mark. The hiss escaping from Zelda’s lips didn’t go unnoticed by Lilith. “That will teach you to tease me and leave me hanging all day.” Lilith licked the hickey to sooth the sting of the bite and Zelda bit her lower lip to quiet down her moans.

Zelda grabbed on Lilith’s sweater hanging on for dear life when Lilith shoved a finger inside her. “That’s a good witch. So good and read for me, aren’t you?” Lilith taunted her.

“Y-yes.” Zelda whined. Lilith drew her finger in and out marveling at the sweet and arousing sounds that were coming out of Zelda’s mouth. Suddenly she felt the pressure around her hips realizing that the redhead had wrapped her legs around her. Lilith chuckled and caught her earlobe between her teeth. The chuckle sent Zelda into overdrive. “Please, Lilith. I s-share I won’t tease you and leave you hanging again.” She gasped panting.

Lilith added another finger. Zelda’s moans intensified when she started circling her thumb over her clit. The brunette pulled her head back slightly admiring the sight in front of her. Zelda had her head tipped to the back, her eyes were closed and her cheeks were flushed while she bit on her lower lip. Lilith grabbed her chin into her palm. “Look at me, my gorgeous witch. I want to look at these beautiful green eyes when you come.” Zelda’s eyes popped open staring into Lilith’s endless blue orbs. She was blushing, she was a bit embarrassed to look straight into the other woman’s eyes when she came but at the same time, she couldn’t care; not when she came unexpectedly and quick. Lilith could feel her throbbing and clenching around her fingers as her orgasm hit her. Her whole body twitched and her eyes rolled to the back of her head. She almost collapsed on the desk but Lilith was quick to catch her and pull her forward. Lilith smiled waiting for Zelda to catch her breath while she rested her forehead on Lilith’s shoulder.

“Bloody hell.” She whispered raising her head to look at Lilith. The brunette cupped her face and kissed her softly. She removed her fingers from inside the witch swallowing Zelda’s small whimper. Lilith pulled back with a smile, her wet fingers disappearing behind her lips. Zelda was watching her every move.

“Gotta run!” She announced moving away from the witch.

“What? Where the hell are you going?” Zelda protested hopping off the desk staring after the brunette. “Home. I have a new book to read.” She said grabbing the book from Zelda’s desk and waving at her face.

“But I drove you here.”

“That’s okay. I’ll walk. I’ll see you later.”

“B-but but…” Zelda was too late. Lilith had already disappeared. The redhead collapsed on her chair and rested her head into her palm.

“Bloody hell. This woman is gonna be the death of me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you, guys, think?   
> Are things going to stay that peaceful?  
> Isn't Vinnie T adorable?  
> I wish we saw him more in the show.


	11. A big surprise or is it two?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One month anniversary. Zelda plans quite a few surprises for Lilith but the biggest surprise is coming straight for Zelda.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your lovely words and your lovely kudos.  
> I hope you are still enjoying the story. <3  
> Enjoy the new chapter! (If you can)!

It had been about a month since that ice-cream flavored kiss Zelda and Mary had shared in the Greendale Park. Zelda had decided to mark that day as the start of their blooming relationship and she had made special plans to celebrate their one month anniversary with a few surprises for Lilith. In fact she had planned every little detail for their morning and their evening and Lilith had no clue whatsoever.

Zelda would prefer spending all day with Lilith, preferably in bed, but both of them had to go to work that day. Nevertheless, Zelda didn’t let that detail ruin their anniversary. She woke up early in the morning and glanced at the teacher snuggled against her side. Her heart melted at the sight. Reluctantly, she slipped out of the bed and leaned over the sleeping woman to press a kiss on her cheek. Lilith mumbled something incoherent and pulled Zelda’s pillow in her arms burying her face in it. She sighed contently making Zelda chuckle.

The redhead tiptoed out of the room –not that there was a risk to wake Lilith up since the woman could sleep through a war- and glanced around the living room. She tightened the robe around her waist wondering on where to start as she surveyed the place. Zelda wasn’t exactly the romantic type in any of her past unsuccessful relationships or in her life in general. Surprising Lilith for their anniversary, or the will to do it, was something she wasn’t expecting from herself. Yet, she was looking forward to it; anything to see that brilliant smile on Lilith’s lips.

Zelda crossed her fingers in front of her chest and raised a hand on her face tapping her chin in thought. She went through a mental check of which flowers Lilith would actually like and enjoy in her cottage. With a soft smile she waved her hand over the fireplace and muttered an old spell she remembered from her Herbalism classes. She was surprised she even remembered since she barely paid any attention in that class. If anything that was more Hilda’s field than hers.

Three vases with bright red carnations appeared on the fireplace mantle in an instant bringing a soft smile on Zelda’s lips. The redhead walked towards the fireplace and brushed her fingertips over their soft petals. They were as perfect as they could be. She turned towards the coffee table and repeated her actions only altering the spell a little bit. Barely another second later another vase popped up out of nowhere. This time it contained a big number of colorful tulips. Hecate’s power was boiling into her veins every time she performed a spell, making her feel even more powerful. It was addicting and Zelda wasn’t planning to stop until the whole living room was filled with flowers.

Following the plan by the time Zelda decided to stop, the room was stuffed with flowers. An array of different colored roses, each with its own meaning, decorated Lilith’s bookcase while a vase of sunflowers stood proudly on the dining table. Zelda smiled proudly at her flowery art before glancing at the vase of orange lilies in her hands. She tiptoed back into the room and placed it on Lilith’s nightstand. Her gaze was drawn to Lilith’s frame sprawled all over the bed but with her face still on Zelda’s pillow hidden under her heavy amount of hair. An urge to join her and wrap her into her arms arose in her chest but Zelda pushed it down with difficulty. She wasn’t done yet.

She exited the room and headed for the kitchen. She started pulling things out of the fridge and the various cupboards deciding what to make for breakfast. She contemplated using magic to make it quick and easy but she knew that food created by magic wasn’t usually as tasty as the one cooked in the traditional way.

Half an hour later, Zelda balanced a tray filled with toast, eggs, bacon, pancakes and two mugs of coffee. Of course, she refused to leave the tray empty of any decorations and magicked a tiny vase with a single flower, an Easter Lily, on it. She walked into the room and placed the tray on her own nightstand before slipping into the bed. Lilith, feeling her presence almost immediately, wrapped her arms around her waist and hugged her closer.

Zelda ran her fingers through the woman’s soft hair earning a content sigh from the brunette. “Lilith, wake up, darling.” She cooed softly. The brunette whined and tightened her hold on the witch.

“Five more minutes.” The brunette mumbled. Zelda could only roll her eyes. Sabrina woke up easier than Lilith and without making a fuss.

Zelda slapped Lilith’s ass through the blanket. “Wake up, you sleepyhead. You have to get ready for school.”

Lilith groaned and sat up, her hair flying all around her face which made Zelda laugh at her expense. “You are so violent in the morning.” The brunette whined and leaned back at the headboard ready to fall asleep.

The witch was having none of that. She grabbed her chin and kissed her softly. Lilith woke up as if a lightening had struck her. Her arms immediately circled Zelda’s waist and pulled her closer. The flutter that was caused in Zelda’s heart was inevitable. Lilith’s hands slipped past Zelda’s robes and the feeling of her fingertips all over the milky white skin made her own core burn with excitement. Until Zelda pulled back that was.

The frown on the brunette’s lips made Zelda smile affectionately. “None of that now.” She placed the tray on Lilith’s lap who gasped surprised. Lilith glanced at Zelda, her lower lip trembled a bit and she could feel her eyes watering. She didn’t need to explain to Zelda why. The reason was known from both of them. She leaned in and kissed her trembling lip softly. “Let’s enjoy our breakfast now yes?” Zelda lifted her mug to her lips.

“I love you.” Lilith muttered gazing up shyly at Zelda, whose mug was standing frozen against her lips. The brunette didn’t wait for a shocked Zelda to say it back at her. She was dug into the breakfast while the redhead replayed the words in her mind, a happy emotional smile spreading at her lips.

* * *

After a quick- not at all because Lilith decided to slip in and thank Zelda properly for the breakfast- shower, Zelda walked first to the living room and waited for Lilith’s entrance. The nervousness was making Zelda’s heart hammer in her chest, her palms were sweating but what reason did she have to be nervous? It wasn’t as if she was going to propose to the woman.

Breath caught in her throat she watched as Lilith walked into the living room hurriedly wearing a purple sweater which looked too good on her and a tight black skirt. For a moment Zelda forgot to look at her reaction and instead stood there ogling her; until Lilith’s surprised gasp that was. Zelda’s eyes snapped into attention watching the wonder on Lilith’s face.

The brunette was trying to take in everything at once. The way Lilith’s face lit up had Zelda sighing in relief. She made her way to an unmoving Lilith who was still admiring all the flowers in the room. “Happy one month anniversary.” Zelda whispered and leaned in to kiss Lilith. The teacher reciprocated the kiss to the fullest, pouring every emotion she was feeling into it. The redhead stomach jumped and tightened in happiness as her arms circled Lilith’s waist.

“When did you do all of this?” The brunette asked in wonder.

“When you were asleep.” The redhead responded proudly. “I would do anything to make the woman I love smile.”

Another wave of tears filled Lilith’s eyes at Zelda’s words. She pulled Zelda into a tight hug in an attempt to hide her tears from her. But of course they hadn’t gone unnoticed by the redhead to pull back a bit trying to look at Lilith’s face.

“Hey. Hey. I will have none of that. I don’t want to see tears in these beautiful blue eyes of yours. Even if they are happy tears, okay?” Zelda brushed them off with her thumb when Lilith nodded with a sniffle.

“I am sorry. It’s just that nobody cared enough to do so much for me.” Lilith sniffed unable to look Zelda in the eyes. Zelda, for her part, smiled warmly and placed a finger under Lilith’s chin raising her head in an attempt to make the brunette look at her.

“Get used to it, my beautiful goddess, because I don’t like to see you cry.” Zelda muttered and brushed her lips against Lilith’s in a slow full of love kiss. They got lost into the kiss both of them marveling at the warmth of each other’s embrace.

When the two women pulled away completely out of breath, they stood in silence for a few seconds gazing into each other’s eyes. “Will I see you later?” Zelda asked her.

“I’ll come by the Mortuary after school. Hilda is going to give cooking lessons today. I suppose I’ll see you there?” Lilith said with a hopeful smile.

Yeah, Zelda knew exactly what Hilda had planned. It was merely a distraction for the second part of her surprise. “I don’t know if I’ll be done from the Academy by then.” Zelda mused with a fake sad sigh. “But if you aren’t in the Mortuary by the time, I return, I could always pop in here for a visit. If that’s alright by you.”

“Absolutely. I’ll see you later tonight then.” She smiled and pecked her lips once more. The two women exited the cottage and shared another soft kiss before heading back to their cars.

While Lilith drove to school, Zelda drove to the grocery store to pick up a few things from Hilda’s list.

* * *

The two sisters worked on the cooking back at the Mortuary for the most part of their morning. Hilda had come up with her most successful recipes for her sister’s anniversary. She worked with a happy smile on her face not once complaining about it. Not only because she was cooking; after all it was one of her favorite things to do. But also because of her sister’s smile. In Hilda’s opinion, she had never seen her sister smile so much before; at least not such an honest and happy smile. Hilda, of course, didn’t point it out. Her sister was a bit skittish when it came to showing her true feelings and every time Hilda pointed out in the past, she always put up a wall.

Apparently Ambrose had noticed as well but he didn’t follow Hilda’s example of shutting up. In fact, since he didn’t have anything better to do that day, he kept tossing sarcastic comments left and right or teased Zelda about Lilith. The auburn haired witch didn’t allow him to ruin her mood. In fact, she was brushing off his comments with a few of her own or used her wooden spoon to hit him over the head every time she passed by him while she was helping Hilda.

By the time they were finished, they barely had time to load the car and send Zelda on her way before Lilith and Sabrina arrived from school. The redhead made Ambrose carry everything to the car as a punishment for his jokes earlier. She hugged her sister in thanks and jumped into the car.

Not even five minutes later, Lilith and Sabrina stepped into the Mortuary with the young witch running up the stairs to take a quick shower before leaving again for the Academy and the brunette joining Hilda and Ambrose into the kitchen. It was barely 3pm by the time they started and Hilda had specific information to keep Lilith there at least until 6 pm. While everything seemed to be going according to plan, all of them were completely unaware of how everything was going to fall apart at exactly 6:30 pm.

* * *

Zelda arrived at the cottage and unlocked the door with a spell. She felt a little like she was trespassing but she managed to push it back when she convinced herself that she was doing all of it for Lilith. She moved everything to the kitchen and pulled out a few of the scented candles Hilda had thrust into her hands before she left.

The flowery atmosphere of the room was giving her a happy feeling in her chest. The scents of the morning flowers were a bit overwhelming but she didn’t mind them. They were actually helping her romantic mood even more. She spread the red and white candles around the living room and tossed some rose petals around the floor.

She worked slowly, taking her time and making sure everything was perfect for their anniversary dinner. When the romantic setting was ready, she returned back to the kitchen, serving the food into different plates after warming it up. She placed the chocolate cake into the fridge and placed the champagne into some ice. She muttered a stasis spell over everything to keep them fresh and warm- or cold in the champagne’s case- and walked back to the living room to set their table.

The redhead spent a good amount of time trying to find a tablecloth. She opened the cupboard and browsed through them trying to find the one she preferred. She chose a red one who seemed quite fitting. When she pulled it out, she failed to notice a clatter of something falling to the ground.

After clearing the table she spread the tablecloth on it and lit up a few white candles positioning them in the middle. She glanced at the clock noticing that it was almost six. She panicked a bit because she wasn’t ready yet. She hurriedly brought out the food and the champagne. When she glanced at the table she realized that something was missing and her eyes fell on the vase with the bright red flowers. Zelda walked to the bookcase to retrieve but when she returned she passed by the old cabinet stepping onto something. She looked down to see a dagger. _Where did that come from?_ She frowned and after placing the vase on the table she bent over to retrieve it.

The auburn haired witch had never seen it before in the house. She looked around trying to pinpoint exactly where it had come from. It didn’t take her long to realize that it had fallen from the exact spot she had found the tablecloth. She knew she should just place it back and forget about it but curiosity was getting the best of her. Why would Lilith own a dagger like that in the first place? She didn’t seem like the kind of woman to possess any kind of weapon like this.

Zelda pulled out the tablecloths and what came spilling out of the cabinet shocked her; two revolvers and a weird looking amulet. All four items had a few weird symbols on them; symbols that she hadn’t seen before. She picked each item inspecting them closely. _Why do you have this, Lilith?_ She wondered with a deep frown. The moment she wrapped her fingers around the amulet, she felt it burning her hand immediately. She tossed it back on the floor. Her eyebrows furrowed at that. She glanced at her hand but she found it untouched. No burn. _Odd._

There was something fishy about all of that. She had come across an amulet like that before. She had plucked it from a dead witch hunter’s neck. Zelda’s eyes widened in alarm. _Witch hunter?_ She jumped from her spot carrying the items on the coffee table and hurried into Lilith’s room for some more digging.

She threw the wardrobe open and searched through the soft sweaters and skirts trying to find anything that would explain why Lilith would own all of these weapons. What she actually found didn’t really put her mind at ease. Her hand came in touch with something round and cold. She didn’t hesitate. The redhead gripped the item and pulled it out, glaring at the item in her hands. _A fucking rifle?_ She pulled all the content out until she came across a bunch of clothes that was definitely not Lilith’s style but were definitely her size. There was a box buried into a corner as well.

As Zelda moved to pick it up, she felt her hands tremble. She took a few calming breaths and gritted her teeth. She gasped at the amount of talismans she found in it. Was Lilith lying to her? Or was this all a misunderstanding. She didn’t know what to believe. She threw the box to the floor and walked back into the living room awaiting for Lilith’s arrival. She deserved an explanation and she was going to get it if it was the last thing she would do.

She stood over the coffee table glaring down at the weapons until she heard the keys on the door. She raised her eyes to watch as the other woman entered.

Lilith jumped when she noticed Zelda. “Darling, what are you doing here?” she noticed the candles and the table and smiled brightly. “Oh is this another one of your lovely surprises?” Lilith grinned and made her way towards the redhead.

“Yes, I was planning a surprise for our fake anniversary but in the end I was the one surprised by the things I found.”

Lilith frowned. “What do you mean fake anniversary? What happened?” the brunette asked as she came close. She immediately noticed the weapons that laid on the coffee table and looked up at Zelda with wide eyes. “Where did you find these?” she whispered, hating the terror in her voice.

“Exactly where you hid them, Lilith.” Zelda snapped at her crossing her arms in front of her chest.

“Let me explain, my love.” Lilith took a step closer and placed a hand on the redhead’s arm. Zelda brushed her hand off and glared at her.

“Tell me the truth, Lilith. Are you a witch hunter?” Zelda was fighting tooth and nail to not overreact and let Lilith explain.

“Listen, Zelda-“

“No, Lilith. It’s a simple question. Yes or no.” she growled. “Are you a bloody witch hunter?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DUN DUN DUN!!!!!!!  
> Zelda is gonna be maaaaad!  
> The next chapter is gonna be full of drama I am warning you.  
> But what can I do? I am a Drama Queen who lives in a place called Drama (I kid you not)!  
> I have drama in my blood but who doesn't love it at least a little bit?  
> Let me hear your thoughts please!!!  
> Your comments are fuel to my soul <3  
> Love you all!


	12. Falling apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zelda finds out that Lilith is a witch hunter. A lot of drama follows.

“Are you a bloody witch hunter?” Zelda stared at Mary holding onto the huntress’ dagger. The haunted look in the witch’s eyes broke Mary’s heart. She didn’t want to hurt her. If only she had the guts to confess everything to the redhead, they might have avoided this. In the past month she had tried repeatedly to gather the courage to tell Zelda the truth and she almost did; numerous times but in the end she always chickened out. The thought of the nuns finding out and coming to Greendale to finish what Mary couldn’t was torturing her mind every day and night. In case that happened she needed to tell Zelda. Not only because the coven needed to be prepared but because she owed it to the woman she loved. She had never expected that Zelda would find out like this. Mary could only imagine how betrayed and hurt Zelda was feeling.

“My love, let me explain-”

“Explain what, Lilith? What?” Zelda could feel her eyes well up with tears but she refused to show any weakness in front of the woman who made Zelda fall in love with her only to break her heart to pieces. This relationship was everything to Zelda but once again she opened up herself and got hurt in the worst possible way. She was used again but this time it was worst. This time she had fallen in love fast and hard and with no way back. “Your difficulty in answering such a simple question is telling me all I need to know.” Zelda’s chest moved with every angry breath she took.

“Okay yes. I admit it. I am. Or at least I was when I moved here.” Mary answered. The fear in her eyes was as visible as ever. The fear of losing Zelda because of how stupid she had been gripped her heart painfully while the disappointment in the redhead’s eyes made it even worse. “I was supposed to hunt your coven down but in the end I truly fell for you, Zelda. This is not a lie. I love you with everything I am.”

Zelda shook her head at that. “And am I supposed to believe that. How naïve do you think I am? You’ve been lying to me since the very beginning. Is Lilith even your real name?” Zelda asked praying to herself that at least the one thing she knew about Lilith was true. At least one thing, in case she could grip onto the little hope she had in her. She gripped onto the dagger tightly praying that Lilith will say yes.

“No but-” Mary was cut off the moment she muttered the two letter word.

“No! I don’t want your excuses or your real name. I should have trusted my instincts the first time I met you. I knew you were trouble but you managed to blindside me completely.” Zelda threw the dagger on the floor and lowered her head. She breathed in deeply trying to maintain some dignity. Mary took a step forward. She needed to feel closer to Zelda, she had to fix all of this but Zelda raised her head and her hand to stop her. “But I don’t blame you. I blame only myself. It’s your job to fool witches and like the idiot I am, I let you manipulate me.”

“Zelda, please listen to me.” Mary begged her. She was one step from falling on her knees in front of Zelda. She refused to lose the witch. Anything but that. Zelda had managed to warm her heart and make her see the truth. She couldn’t lose her.

“No. I am done listening to you. I am done!” Zelda was furious, hurt, disappointed and the list went on and on. She felt the magic bubbling into her veins more and more every time the woman tried to speak; uncontrollably. She had to fight the urge to lash out.

“My love, please. Let me explain. Please.”

“Do. Not. Call. Me. That.” Zelda growled. The ice in her voice cut through Mary’s heart.

With a swift motion, she formed her fingers into a grip, choking the air from Mary’s lungs without touching her. Mary gasped for air and clawed at the invisible fingers on her neck. “Stop lying! Stop telling me you love me. Just stop this charade. I don’t want to hear your voice. I don’t want to see you again.” Her fury blindsided the auburn haired witch but it was enough to use her magic against Lilith which was something she never ever wanted to do. The moment she realized what she was doing, she immediately freed Lilith from her tight grip. As soon as she did, Lilith fell on her knees losing her balance completely.

“You have one day to pack up your things and leave Greendale for good or I will kill you with my bare hands.” Zelda growled watching the other woman gasping for air on the floor. She could feel the uneasiness in her own heart at the realization of raising a “magical” hand against the woman she still loved.

Even the threat she spewed on her was an empty one. Zelda knew that. She wouldn’t be able to hurt Lilith, let alone kill her. Even after the betrayal, Zelda couldn’t deny that the feelings for the brunette were real. Feelings like that didn’t disappear easily. Not even after Lilith’s actions. She was the first person she had opened up to in centuries. She was an idiot for thinking that there was even the slightest connection between the two but that didn’t mean she wanted to hurt her. In fact the redhead hated herself for turning her magic against Lilith. She didn’t think, she only wanted to show Lilith how much Zelda was hurting at the moment.

Zelda looked at the woman on the floor with as much loathing as she could muster but the pain in her eyes shone through brighter than the hate. “Let this be a warning, Miss Gladstone. If you come close to my family or my coven, I swear to Hecate, I will end you.” She spat and turned around. She slammed the door on her way out, the whole cottage shaking from floor to ceiling.

Only when Zelda was behind the wheel and on her way home did she let her tears fall. Heart-wrenching sobs escaped her lips and she had to stop her car at the side of the road to let her emotions wash over her. She slammed a fist on the steering wheel with as much strength as she had. The pain shot through her hand up her arm and straight to her heart with a loud crack. The physical pain she felt was nothing compared to the emotional one she was experiencing. Not only did Lilith betray her in the worst way possible but Zelda actually let that betrayal and hurt corrupt her and manipulate her into doing something she never wanted to do. The witch suddenly felt dizzy when she looked through blurry eyes down at her hand, her stomach turned nauseously at the sight of her broken fingers. She clenched her eyes tightly, breathing deeply and concentrating as best as she could.

The next time she opened her eyes, she was standing in the kitchen back at the Mortuary. She looked around at her family through red rimmed and blurry eyes. They were all there looking at her startled. Three sets of eyes watching her closely in alarm. She needed to protect them; she had to protect them and her coven. The pain and the stress consumed her. Her blood pressure skyrocketed and her eyes rolled at the back of her head. The last thing she remembered was falling and a loud cry of “Zelda!”.

Thankfully Ambrose, who was leaning against the counter nearby, was quick enough to catch her before she hit the floor. Hilda and Sabrina rushed to help immediately.

* * *

The red rimmed eyes were the first thing Hilda noticed before her sister fainted. The second was her ill shaped fingers. “Ambrose, take her to her bedroom please. I’ll be right up. Sabrina, go fetch me some chamomile and ginger from the garden.” Hilda instructed her niece and nephew. Her heart was beating loudly with adrenaline and the questions about her sister’s well-being were echoing inside her head. She headed for the storage pulling out other ingredients and herbs she had stored for every kind of situation.

Hilda was so sick with worry for her sister. She didn’t know what happened to her. She hadn’t seen her in such an emotional state before; not even when their brother died. What could have happened? When she left from home earlier, she was all cheerful and happy heading to Lilith’s cottage to surprise her with a special dinner for their one-month anniversary.

She shook her head when she heard Sabrina’s footsteps. It was no time for questions now. She had to control her sister’s anxiety and blood pressure.

“Auntie, what’s wrong with aunt Zee?” Sabrina asked fearfully and handed her the herbs. Hilda tightened her lips trying to swallow her worry. Zelda was always the fearless in the family; the strong one, the glue holding them together. It was always Zelda’s role to keep them grounded while she put all of their worries to rest. For once, it was Hilda’s turn to do that. Zelda needed her to be strong and that was exactly what she was going to be.

“Don’t worry, love. She will be fine. Her blood pressure is too high probably. That’s why she fainted.” Hilda faked a smile stroking Sabrina’s cheek. “Please prepare this tea for her and bring it upstairs, okay?” she asked her grabbing some bandages dipped in her special healing potion, as well as her healing salve and walked hurriedly upstairs.

Sabrina wanted to ask more. She wasn’t an idiot. She, too, had seen her aunt’s eyes and broken fingers, but Hilda literally ran out of the kitchen before she had the chance to question her again. For once, the girl let it go and turned to make the tea. She would have time to ask any question later. She didn’t want to make Hilda more upset than she already was.

Hilda walked into the room finding Ambrose sitting by Zelda’s side quietly, watching. She made her way closer to the bed and brushed her sister’s hair back placing a wet cloth on Zelda’s forehead. The scented oils infused into the cloth filled the room with a soothing odor. The warlock rested his hand on Zelda’s forehead keeping the cloth in place so Hilda could work on the woman’s hand.

After casting a spell to figure out the damage on her sister’s hands, Hilda breathed a sigh of relief. The damage was not magical which meant that it was gonna be easier to fix. No curse and no spell to make it unfixable. She murmured a numbing spell on the hand and started setting the dislocated fingers back into place. Ambrose closed his eyes unable to watch the scene while Hilda bit the inside of her cheek holding onto her strength a little bit more. As soon as she was done they both exhaled relieved.

Upon glancing at the hand, the blonde frowned at the purple bruises and the swelling around the area. It was going to give a lot of trouble to Zelda for the next few days. A Zelda in pain was a nightmare to everyone around her.

Hilda proceeded to apply her healing salve on her sister’s hands while murmuring softly.

_Hecate, listen to my prayer.  
I call upon you, Mother.  
I call upon your power._

Hilda wrapped the fingers with the bandages as tightly as possible just as Sabrina walked in with the tea. When she was done, she changed seats with Ambrose and shook Zelda’s shoulders softly. “Zelda love, can you hear me?” she whispered softly.

It took a few more seconds or probing and calling before the redhead’s eyes opened slowly. Zelda slowly came to it and remembered what happened. In an instant her eyes were filled with tears and Hilda pushed the other two occupants of the room out, promising to tell them what happened later. She rushed to her sister’s side and hugged her tightly. She let her sister cry into her shoulder for what seemed like an hour, caressing her back and rocking her softly. Her heart broke when she saw her sister like that. Zelda was always poised and too proud to let anyone see her crying like that. In all her lifetime, Hilda witnessed Zelda crying three times at most.

When she finally calmed down enough, Hilda pulled back and looked at her concern all over her face. “Are you ready to tell me what happened now?” the blonde witch wiped away her sister’s tears.

“Lilith.” She said sniffling.

“Is she okay? Did something happen to her?” Hilda’s worry came back full force. She liked the teacher a lot. In the last month she started seeing her as family, as one of their own.

“Oh she quite alright. She is a bloody witch hunter, Hilda.” Hilda frowned deeply at that. “She was using us this whole time. She played us because she wanted us to lead her to the coven and the idiot I am, I didn’t see it. I led her straight to our base because I wanted to share my world with her.” Zelda shook her head, feeling furious again.

“Zelds, calm down please. Your blood pressure is high enough already.” Hilda rose the tea cup to her lips helping her sister drink some. Only then did Zelda notice the bandages on her hand.

Hilda noticed where Zelda was looking and paled. “Did she do this to you?”

“No.” The redhead bit on her lip nervously. “I did this to myself.” Zelda was embarrassed to admit her outburst since she doubted that Hilda will understand. After all Hilda was always the calm one while Zelda was the one with the anger issues.

“Zelds! Why would you do that to yourself?” Hilda shook her head; not exactly in disappointment but more in sadness. When Zelda didn’t give an answer, Hilda sighed. She let it go for the time being but she was going to figure it out sooner or later. Even with her anger issues, the blonde knew that Zelda would never hurt herself like that.

“Are you sure you didn’t misunderstand, love? The woman has been going in and out of this house every day for a month and she never gave us any reason to doubt her intentions. She always helped out and she has been great to Ambrose and Sabrina. Not to mention that every time her eyes were on you when she thought no one was watching, they were full of adoration. Her feelings seemed genuine, love.” Hilda tried to explain calmly.

“Don’t be so naïve, Hilda! For crying out loud! It was all an act.” Zelda rolled her eyes at her sister. “I found her weapons and a charmed amulet. When I asked her about it, she didn’t deny it.”

“Did you at least let her explain?” she asked cautiously not wanting Zelda to snap at her this time.

“Hilda, knock it off. There is nothing to explain.” Zelda glared at her sister and moved to stand up. “We need to inform the coven before it is too late. I warned her to leave Greendale but if she doesn’t the coven needs to be prepared.”

Hilda pushed her back on the bed. “Don’t you even dare, Zelda Phiona Spellman!” Hilda’s strict tone made Zelda pause in her step. Her sister barely raised her tone especially when she addressed Zelda. “You will get your ass back on the bed and I will go inform the coven. Don’t you even think of going anywhere! Get some sleep.” After the night she had, Zelda didn’t want to argue with her sister so for once in her life she obeyed her sister’s wishes and laid back down. When her eyes started closing she realized that her sister had added more than medicinal herbs in the tea. Before she had a chance to scold her, sleep had already taken her.

Hilda instructed her niece and nephew to keep an eye on Zelda and not to let her off the bed until she was back. She slipped into her coat and walked out of the door in a hurry.

* * *

In the other side of the small town, Mary wasn’t fairing any better. The moment she recovered from Zelda’s magical attack, she stood on shaky legs and kicked the amulet on the other side of the room. She collapsed on the armchair in front of the fireplace feeling numb. She only had herself to blame for the mess. If she had only talked to Zelda, if she had only told her the truth all of the hurt she had inflicted to the woman would have been avoided.

Mary was supposed to make Zelda fall in love with her and give her information about the coven thinking that she could trust her. Somewhere along the way, Mary had fallen in love with her. But not only that. She had spent her days around witches. She had experience how it was to be a witch. She saw it every day. She even got to know more of them whenever Zelda took her to the Academy. Mary had realized that they were not the monsters the nuns had told her about. With every day spent by Zelda’s side, Mary fell in love with her little by little which in turn made her feel guiltier and guiltier about all of the things she did in the past.

Since she couldn’t bring the witches she killed back, she tried to fix her mistakes by helping out the witches she got to know; whether that was in the Academy or in the Mortuary. She enjoyed Hilda’s company and she teased Sabrina every time Ambrose did. She even grew accustomed to the young blonde, enjoying her company when she was in a cheerful mood. When she was gloomy and depressed, Mary always noticed and tried to cheer her up. That was something that the old Mary Wardwell would have never done before.

And Zelda?

Zelda had become the sun of her life without her even noticing. Not a single day went by without seeing her, even if it was late at night. One of them would always pop in for a visit until they started spending the nights on each other’s bed; waking up together, having breakfast together, visiting each other at work, even sitting in front of the fireplace in silence reading. Mary had become fascinated with the books Zelda gave her about witch’s history and witchcraft. There was one thing that Mary loved more than everything; laying with Zelda side by side in silence, her hand on Zelda’s chest and the soft “thump, thump” against her palm.

If someone asked her whether she regrets falling in love with the redhead, the answer she would give is that she only regrets hurting her. Nothing else.

The creaking of the front door pulled Mary away from her thoughts. Had Zelda talked to the coven? Did they come to finish her off? Honestly she didn’t know and she wouldn’t even blame them. She slowly rose from the armchair but she didn’t turn around.

“Came to finish me off?” she cleared her throat which still felt a bit sore from when Zelda’s magic got a forceful grip on her.

“Not really. I came seeking for some answers.” Hilda sighed and Mary turned around abruptly. Hilda was the last person she expected around for a visit.

“Hilda!” She took a step towards the blonde but stopped when she realized that the blonde might see it as a threat. “I am sorry.” Her lower lip trembled a bit. “I never meant for things to turn out like this.”

“Just answer me this.” Hilda raised her head keeping all of her emotions under a well-constructed mask. “Can I trust you?”

Mary breathed out relieved a bit at the question. “Yes, Hilda. I promise I would never do anything to hurt you; any of you.”

“Okay then.” Hilda nodded and walked closer to the brunette. “Knowing Zelda, she probably overreacted because of the way she found out but I want to know. I deserve at least that much.” Hilda pointed out. Mary couldn’t blame Zelda for overreacting like that. How could she? The way Zelda found out made Mary look like a liar and an enemy in Zelda’s eyes. If she had only braved through it and told her herself that whole fighting could have been avoided in the first place.

Hilda tossed her coat over a chair and sat on the couch beckoning to sit by her side. Mary nodded and joined her. “I swear I’ll tell you everything but you can’t tell anything to Zelda. I need to be the one who explains it to her. I can’t make the same mistake twice.”

“You think that you will manage to get through to that stubborn head of hers?” Hilda smiled a little.

“No, but I can at least try, right?” Mary sighed.

“I promise, I’ll keep this between us.” Hilda nodded. “I am listening.”

“Okay.” Mary took a deep breath and exhaled. “First of all, I am not Lilith Gladstone. My name is Mary Wardwell and yes, I am a witch hunter. Or at least I used to be.” Mary started. After that Mary explained to Hilda how she became an orphan and how she was raised by nuns at a convent. She told her exactly how the nuns raised her and what beliefs they stuck into her head. She didn’t leave any detail out.

The brunette even informed Hilda of her plans ever since she moved in Greendale and how all her plans were tossed to the side forgotten as soon as she started spending more and more time with Zelda and the Spellman family. She even told her of how Mother Superior kept pressuring her for information until Mary told her that the job was done.

“Do you believe me?” Mary asked looking at Hilda with so much hope in her eyes.

Hilda stood there a bit shocked at all of the information she received. “Wait, the nuns think we are all dead? Where do they think you are?” she furrowed her brows.

“Well they think I am taking some time off after I finished the job. I still don’t know what I should do about them.” Mary pulled out her phone and passed it to Hilda to see the message she had sent and the date on it but Hilda pushed it away.

“There is no need for that, darling. I believe you. No one is such a good actor.” Hilda gave her a hopeful smile. “I can see how much you love my sister. It was written all over your face before either of you realized it. Same goes for her.” Hilda pushed Mary’s hair behind her ear and patted her cheek. “She will come around. Do not worry.”

The action threw some light on the brunette’s neck and Hilda gasped. “Did my sister do that to you?” she pointed at the bruise on Mary’s neck. The other woman hesitated but nodded. “She didn’t mean to do it. Not that I didn’t deserve it. I deserved much worse than that.” Mary snorted humorlessly.

“Well you didn’t deserve it, love, and Zelda realized that. Which explains why she dislocated her fingers. May I?” she asked raising her palms towards Mary’s neck. At Mary’s nod, Hilda placed both hands on each side of her neck and murmured a spell.

“What do you mean she dislocated her fingers? She didn’t touch me. She used magic. Is she okay?” Mary asked worried.

“You two are hopeless.” Hilda shook her head. “She almost choked you and here you are wondering about my sister.” Hilda rolled her eyes. “I know my sister way too well, Li- Mary. If I had to guess, I would say that her hurt and anger took a hold of her magic and she lashed out on you but the moment she realized what she was doing, she tossed an empty threat and fled. Is that right?” At Mary’s nod, Hilda smiled a bit. “Well then, she probably punished herself for the pain she inflicted upon you.” She explained and watched Mary frowning.

“So I hurt her twice.” Mary sighed.

“Mary, you are being ridiculous right now. Get a grip. You can’t blame yourself for Zelda’s hot head. She loves you, you know. Even after all of this, she still loves you and you love her too. It’s obvious.” Hilda pointed out. Even though the woman was younger than Zelda, she seemed wiser than her at times. “I’ll talk to her, okay? We will fix this.” She smiled hopefully at the teacher. “Try to get some sleep tonight and tomorrow we will fix this damage. Everything can be fixed.”

“Thank you, Hilda.” Mary wrapped her arms around Hilda in a tight hug. “Thank you for believing me.” She murmured with a small smile.

“It will be okay, love.” Hilda patted her back before leaving the cottage.

 _These stubborn women will be the death of me!_ Hilda huffed on her way to the car. Now she only had to tell the coven about the witch hunter while keeping certain details hidden for the time being before Zelda found out where she had ran off to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> That was so sad. My emotions are all over the place.  
> I need a hug!


	13. Listen to the warning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mary receives a disturbing phone call and rushes to warn the coven. Is it a fight or flight situation? It most certainly is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As a gift to my loyal and lovely readers, I decided to upload the last three chapters together. Thank you to all of you for your love for this story. It meant the world to me. Honestly.  
> I love you all <3 I hope I won't disappoint you in the final chapter!  
> Enjoy!

After Hilda left, Mary couldn’t seem to relax enough to get some sleep. The image of the pain in Zelda’s eyes was torturing her for hours upon hours until she decided to take two sleeping pills and retire to bed. On her way to her bedroom, Mary stepped onto the amulet. She bent over picking it up and tossed it into the fireplace angrily. It melted with a loud hiss and turned the fire blue. Mary stumbled back to the couch and watched mesmerized at the flames almost missing the soft burn she felt against her back. Before she had the chance to investigate the burn, she felt her eyes starting to get heavy.

“That’s okay. I’ll check it out in the morning.” She muttered to herself before she finally succumbed to sleep. Weird dreams kept her brain active even during her heavy sleep. Mary couldn’t figure out what she was seeing. There were two people with blurry faces; one male and one female. They were mixing stuff together. _Potions?_ The scene changed. Mary was walking through a garden with different kind of plants. Some of them she had never seen before in her life or at least she couldn’t recall them. Similar dreams plagued her sleep and yet Mary watched each and every one of them with interest and curiosity. The sleeping pills kept her under and she was unable to wake up.

The insistent buzzing made her wrinkle her nose in annoyance. She searched for the source of the noisy buzz by slapping her hand on the coffee table blindly. It was her phone apparently.

“What?” she answered groggily.

“Daughter Mary. Good morning.” The all too familiar voice greeted her.

_Mother Superior. Crap._

“Good morning, Mother.” She replied cringing at the name. She hated calling her that.

“How is your time off? Where are you vacationing?” The questions set her off immediately. Mother Superior never called to chat. Mary forced her eyes open and sat up trying to control her racing heart.

“I-it’s going great. I-I am in Poland right now.” _Jesus, Mary. Stop stuttering!_

“Are you? Oh what a pity!” Mother Superior’s voice dripped with sweetness. That was not good. Not good at all. “Some friends and I decided to pay a little visit to that Greendale town. We wanted to see the town that big coven you exterminated resided in. Do you have any suggestions for sightseeing?”

Mary felt her blood freeze in her veins. _No no no! This can’t be happening._ That was not the reason of the nun’s visit and they both knew it well. The old hag probably knew that Mary had lied to her even though the brunette didn’t know how.

“Ehm, there is not anything worth seeing there. I spent two years in that boring little town. I would know.” Mary cleared her throat as she tried to change the nun’s mind in vain.

“I highly doubt that. I would love to see the famous Academy. Where can I find it, Mary?” she asked dropping the sweet tone completely. Mary froze again. What was she going to say? _Fuck, fuck, fuck. What do I do?_ “Too bad you are not in Greendale to take us there.”

“Ehm it’s hidden in the woods. Between two big large rocks. You can’t miss it.” Mary lied as convincingly as she could. “I need to go. Have a great trip.”

“Thank you, my dear. Enjoy your vacation.” The moment the nun hung up, she started swearing. The burning on her back the night before had been completely forgotten and so had the investigation of it.

Mary jumped up and started pacing with her phone in hand. She needed to warn the coven. She glanced at the phone in her hand and started punching her fingers against it. She tried Zelda first but after some ringing it sent her straight to voicemail. _Damn it, Zelda!_ She tried the rest of the Spellmans but she was unsuccessful again. “Why can’t I find anyone during a damn emergency?” she growled to no one in particular.

_Texting! That’s right._ She punched a quick message with a plain “SOS, danger” and paced the floor for an hour waiting for a response. Where the hell were they anyway? They should be up and running by now. She took a few swallow and quick breaths to calm herself. If anything happened to the Spellmans or the rest of the coven because she was too late to warn them or because she was the reason the nun was here, she wouldn’t be able to forgive herself.

“Screw it!” she exclaimed after another hour with no response. Mary dug into her wardrobe and pulled out a barely used scarf wrapping it effectively around that big mass of hair of hers. She quickly changed into a green sweater and a black pair of pants and slipped into her mustard leather coat. She chose her biggest sunglasses and hid her weapons inside her coat while she was running out of the house as if someone was chasing after her, completely forgetting about her phone. She sped down the road as fast as she could, glancing occasionally at the mirror and making sure that no one was following her.

When she pulled into the Mortuary, she frowned when she didn’t see Zelda’s car. She ran to the door and knocked loudly waiting impatiently for someone to open the door. At this point, she didn’t even mind if it was Zelda wanting to kill her. Unfortunately for Mary, no one was home. Not a soul.

“Bloody hell! Where the hell are they?” She cursed loudly banging at the door.

_The Academy! That’s right!_

Mary ran back to her car and stepped onto the gas pedal driving like a mad woman. It took her less than five minutes to arrive outside of the Academy. She ran out of the car and passed by the two trees Zelda had explained was the only way to enter the Academy grounds. She pushed the doors open and ran into the hall. She stopped, panting, and looked around for someone. Not a living soul. Had she been too late?

“No. No, I cannot accept that.” She shook her head and ran towards the classrooms and Zelda’s office. When she was nearing the redhead’s office that same redhead walked through the double doors glancing down at the book she was holding with Sabrina following close behind. Sabrina’s eyes widened at the intruder while Mary sighed relieved.

She ran full speed towards them and threw her hands around Zelda in a tight hug. The book Zelda was holding was pressed between them uncomfortably. The redhead gasped shocked at the sudden contact. She didn’t recognize the woman in her arms, not after the way Mary had disguised herself, but the hug was way too familiar and so was the scent that filled her lungs; wine and lilies.

A second later Sabrina confirmed her suspicions when the name fell from her lips. “Lilith!”

Zelda huffed and pushed Lilith off of her. “What the hell do you think you are doing?” she growled glaring at her. “I thought I warned you not to come near me or my family again.” The redhead took a threatening step towards her.

“Wait. Wait!” Mary raised her palms to stop Zelda from doing anything rash before she had a chance to warn her. “They are coming for all of you. You need to warn your coven, Zelda. They are already in Greendale.”

Zelda looked at her as if she had grown a second head. “Who’s coming, Lilith? What are you talking about?”

“The witch hunters, Zelda! We don’t have a lot of time.”

“What witch hunters? What have you done now?” Zelda scoffed.

“Let’s say she is my boss, of sorts. She is actually the woman who raised me. She came to finish the job that I was unable to finish…” she was talking fast now. “She brought other witch hunters with her, Zelda.” She was trying to urge Zelda to get a move on but the woman was all about the 20 questions game. “… they came to kill the coven.”

Zelda’s eyes widened in alarm. “Sabrina, go and gather everyone to the main hall. NOW!” she snapped at the young blonde witch. Zelda paced the floor for a moment lost in thought. Strategies and plans filled her mind while she tried to choose the one with the best outcome. She had completely forgotten about Lilith standing mere feet away from her until the brunette spoke up.

“How are you planning to escape?” she asked hesitantly.

“What? I am not planning on escaping. I am planning to fight them.” She scoffed but didn’t stop pacing.

Mary gasped. She removed her sunglasses and her scarf forcefully. The fear in her eyes gave Zelda some pause. “Are you insane? You can’t fight them. Their weapons are lethal to witches. They have infused them with some kind of poison that prevents the wounds from magical healing. You will all die!” Mary grabbed on her arm to stop her from pacing. “This is serious. You need to leave.”

“We do not have time to leave!” she pulled away from Mary’s grip. “They are already here. If you had only told us sooner, there would be more time to evacuate.”

“If you had told us sooner, we would have been prepared but without a doubt, the element of surprise was your plan all along. Don’t come here and pretend to be a friend who cares about us.” Zelda brushed past the brunette and headed towards the hall.

Mary grabbed on her hand to stop her, again. “I didn’t know, Zelda. I swear to God, to Satan, to Hecate. I had no idea. She just called me today.” Mary looked into Zelda’s eyes begging her to believe her. “I haven’t spoken to her for a month. The last time we spoke I lied to her about all of you. I told her that I had killed the entire coven and that I was planning a long vacation away from all the killing. If she is here, she probably didn’t believe me. I am telling the truth.”

“I don’t have time for this.” Zelda shook her head and continued on her way to the main hall. The coven had already gathered there waiting for Zelda. Mary came trailing behind her and Hilda’s eyebrows shot up.

She immediately took a step towards her sister and opened her mouth but Zelda stopped her before she had the chance to ask. The auburn haired witch turned to address the entire coven.

“I am sorry for interrupting your activities but unfortunately I have some bad news to share with all of you.” The Directrix raised her voice so she could be heard clearly. Everyone stopped their chattering as soon as they heard the authority in Zelda’s voice. It was quite impressive really.

“I just received information about witch hunters in Greendale.” A few gasps spread among the students.”I would kindly request for you to remain calm. They are coming for us here. We’ve dealt with witch hunters again in the past. We are going to fight them off and win again.” She could see the uncertainty in her student’s eyes.

“You are all very talented and powerful witches and warlocks and with Hecate’s aid, we are going to survive this attack.” Zelda cleared her throat and tried to make eye contact in an attempt to reassure them all.

“First things first. We need to set up a protection around the Academy. It might not stop them but at least it will slow them down. Everybody form a circle and grab hands.” She instructed taking Hilda’s and Sabrina’s hand. Mary stood to the side watching forgotten until Hilda noticed her. She beckoned her closer and offered her a hand. Mary looked at her confused. “Hilda, I am not a witch.”

“That’s right. You are a witch hunter.” Zelda murmured besides Hilda making Mary cast her eyes away embarrassed. Hilda scoffed at her sister and pulled Mary between her and the redhead.

“That doesn’t matter. You still have a strong energy inside you. I can feel it.” Hilda smiled kindly at her. “If anything it feels stronger today than any other day.” She gave a firm squeeze at her hand reassuringly.

Mary turned towards Zelda and offered her hand hesitantly. The witch scoffed but slipped her hand in hers not wanting to make a scene in front of her students. The redhead could feel the energy Hilda talked about. It surprised her.

As soon as the circle formed, Zelda started muttering the spell. Everyone closed their eyes concentrating. Mary was surprised by her own energy tingling her muscles and bones. It was nothing she had felt before. It was exciting and exhilarating. Her whole body felt as if it was floating with overwhelming power; Zelda’s and Hilda’s hands were the only things keeping her grounded. She was completely overwhelmed when the magical energy of all the people in the room came together and spread all over the Academy.

When they broke the circle, she swayed dangerously on her feet and her vision turned blurry for mere seconds. Thankfully, Zelda was quick to notice and placed a hand around her arm to steady her.

“You okay?” Zelda offered trying to act uninterested but failing miserably.

“Yeah. Yeah. Don’t worry.” Mary muttered.

“I am not.” Zelda removed her hand and turned to address the coven in an attempt to put some distance between Mary and her feelings.

Hilda placed a hand on Mary’s back and offered her a supporting smile. The only thing Mary could do was smile back. Even though Hilda believed that they were gonna get over their lovers’ quarrel, Mary believed that they wouldn’t be able to go back to how they were. Zelda wouldn’t be able to forgive Mary’s betrayal or her past actions. If she even gave her a chance to Mary again that is.

Lost in her musings, Mary failed to notice the loud bang that came through the front hall but she heard the wild footsteps around her. She lifted her head just in time to see Mother Superior entering the room with a number of witch hunters behind her. She immediately pulled her revolvers from her coat gripping them tightly.

“Did you really think that your pathetic excuse of a protection spell was going to keep us out?” the cold ruthless voice made Mary’s skin crawl uncomfortably.


	14. Today we fight!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations of Mary's past and a fight between witch hunters and witches!

_“Did you really think that your pathetic excuse of a protection spell was going to keep us out?”_

Each set of eyes in the Academy turned to look at the source of the cold voice. Mary gripped tightly on the handles of her revolvers gritting her teeth. If she had to fight, to protect the coven she would without a second thought. She had grown so close to these witches and especially the Spellman family that she wouldn’t hesitate.

Zelda, on the other hand, raised her chin proudly ready to deal with whatever the witch hunters were going to throw at her. The fear didn’t touch her, or at least she didn’t let it manipulate her. She was prepared to go down for her coven and her family.

When the nun’s blue cold eyes fell upon Mary she felt her blood ran cold. There was so much hate and distaste in them. Soon enough the expression on the nun’s face matched the feelings in her eyes. “My dear Mary.” She sneered. “How the mighty have fallen! From a notorious witch hunter you were turned into a pathetic witch lover who turned her back on her own family; on the person that raised her.”

“You were never my family, Dolores.” Mary gritted her teeth.

“I gave you everything you needed. All the tools to achieve everything in your life and in the end you tossed it all aside for a bunch of demonic witches.”

“You gave me the tools to become a monster. I’ve killed innocent people because of you. You have been lying to me for my whole life.” Mary exclaimed, her hands trembling with anger.

The nun laughed loudly. “Is that so? Don’t pretend that you didn’t enjoy every kill, every drop of blood on your hands. You were my best witch hunter. Your name is instilling fear even now.”

“Keep your mouth shut!” Mary growled cocking her gun towards her.

“What’s the matter, Mary? Afraid that your new friends will abandon you when they found out what monster they’ve accepted into their lives? Or is it because you don’t want to disappoint one person in particular?” The nun turned her eyes to the redhead standing next to Mary. “So which one is it, Bloody Mary?”

A few gasps echoed around the big room. Mary glared at Mother Superior but she didn’t dare to meet Zelda’s eyes who turned to look at her in shock. The hope that the coven wouldn’t know about her alias evaporated. Hilda took a step closer and placed a hand on her shoulder making her support clear as day. Zelda was a bit thrown by her sister’s actions.

The Spellman sisters knew a lot about the killings by Bloody Mary’s hand. They had spent hours talking about how they would protect themselves and the coven if she ever came for them. There was no witch, demonic, pagan or else, that hadn’t heard of the witch hunter before. To see Hilda supporting the killer, came quite as a shock to Zelda. What did Hilda know that she didn’t?

Mary’s eyes widened at what the nun was implying. Did she know about her and Zelda? And if she did, how was it possible? She had gone into great lengths to protect that relationship and hid it from the nun’s prying ears. “Silly woman! Did you really think I bought your pathetic lies? I am the one who raised you. I know you better than you think. That’s how I know that you won’t be able to do anything to stop me.” The nun smirked at that. Hilda squeezed her shoulder in a final act of support before dropping it slowly reading herself from the inevitable fight.

Mary pondered her words and realized that there was nothing she could do to stop her. Even if she shot her on the spot, there were a dozen other witch hunters behind her who would finish the job for her. No matter how fast she was, she wouldn’t be able to shoot all thirteen of them. “Even if I can’t, I sure as hell will try, Dolores.” Mary cocked her gun towards the nun and placed a finger on the trigger. Coven and witch hunters held their breath but the nun merely blinked at the threat. Mary never missed and they both knew that so why wasn’t the nun scared.

“I knew you would eventually be swayed back to your own kind.” Dolores smirked and Mary faltered.

“My own kind? What are you talking about?”

The cold laughter that escaped the nun’s lips angered Mary. “You won’t appreciate the irony of the situation but I certainly did in every one of your killings, Mary. You see, turning a witch against her own kind was and is one of my most brilliant plans.”

Mary’s outstretched arm fell to her side. _What is she saying?_

Zelda and Hilda quickly caught on to what the nun was saying. Hilda for once had noticed the strange but strong energy Mary was emitting that day. She found the chance to tap into it more focused now and she realized that the nun was right. Unknowingly to her, Zelda was mimicking her sister’s actions and gasped at her discovery. The sisters shared a look. The same questioned shone into their eyes. _How did we not notice it before?_

“But I am not a witch.” Mary countered.

“Oh but you are, my dear. Your parents were too.”

“But my parents died by a witch’s hand!”

“Your parents died by my hand, you silly girl!”

The words echoed into Mary’s mind making her sway on her spot. Her memories came flooding back as soon as the realization took place. She didn’t remember any of it before. The dreams she saw that morning came back flooding her mind; this time crystal clear. She could see her parents laughing over potion making, a 7 year old Mary propped on a stool helping them and laughing with them. She relived the moment her father taught her her first spell and watched her performing it perfectly. She watched her mother healing her scrapped knees with a simple touch.

“I take immense pride on the creation of that amulet I bound to your soul. It certainly did its job.” The nun laughed again. Mary remembered the burn she felt against her back the night before; the night she threw the amulet into the fire. _If only I had destroyed it sooner._

The brunette swayed at her feet dangerously. All the knowledge and the memories entering her mind made her feel faint. But she couldn’t faint now. She couldn’t leave the coven defenseless against that wretched woman. Suddenly she felt two strong hands steadying her on her feet and grounding her to Earth. She turned to thank the witch she was sure was Hilda but was surprised to see Zelda looking at her with concern.

Mary was too embarrassed to even look her in the eyes after all the information about her life was revealed. She stood a bit straighter and turned her eyes away from the concerned green orbs.

Zelda pushed past Mary and glared at the nun. “That is enough, witch hunter. Leave now or you will live to regret it.”

“You miserable witch. Do you really think you can stop us? With what exactly? No magic can touch us. If it did, none of us would be here now. Our God is protecting us.” The nun was taunting her. She was aching for a fight. It was clear in her dead cold eyes. “Repent, witch, and I might think twice about sparing your life.” The nun cocked her crossbow pointing it at Zelda’s heart.

Zelda didn’t even bat an eye. “Never.” She raised a hand calling upon her magic. Before she had the chance, the poisoned bolt was fired flying towards her.

“NO!” A loud cry came from behind her. Before anyone had a chance to blink, Mary jumped in front of the witch shielding her from the attack. The brunette gasped when the bolt pierced her own heart. She collapsed against Zelda’s body. Zelda immediately caught her before the shock of Mary’s sacrifice even registered in her mind. Mary saved her life by sacrificing her own.

“What did you do, you silly woman?” Zelda whispered as she kneeled on the floor with Mary in her arms. The auburn haired witch examined her wound trying to find how to stop the bleeding. Mary smiled as she watched Zelda’s frantic eyes. She loved her. She loved her so much that she couldn’t picture a world in which Zelda was not alive.

“Hey. Look at me.” She gasped trying to grab her attention. “It’s alright.” Zelda looked at her through sad eyes. Even if she had asked Mary to stay away because she didn’t trust her, the actual fact of Mary dying shook her to the core. It was one thing for Mary to stay away but to actually lose her and never see her again, that was something she wouldn’t be able to handle.

She placed a hand on her cheek brushing her thumb against it. “You shouldn’t have done that.” She whispered with tears in her eyes.

Mary smiled and leaned into the touch closing her eyes. “I couldn’t let you die.”

In a moment of vulnerability between the two women the nun found an opportunity to attack Zelda again but Hilda threw a protective barrier in front of all of them halting any attacks for the time being. She didn’t know if it would prove successful but when it appeared that it did, she breathed out a sigh of relief.

Still, both Mary and Zelda had erased their surroundings as they looked into each other eyes. “I would have been fine.” Zelda countered angrily, tears spilling from her eyes.

“No you wouldn’t. The poison would have killed you even if the bolt grazed your skin.” Mary used all the strength she had to lift her hand on Zelda’s cheek and pull her down. She kissed her lips softly. “I couldn’t let you die, my beautiful witch.” She whispered against her lips. “I love you.”

Zelda sobbed against her lips. “I forbid you to leave me, Mary. I forbid it.” Zelda felt something cold being pressed against her hand. “I will never leave you.” She looked down to see Mary placing her dagger in her hand. “If you can’t use your magic, use other weapons.” Mary smiled at her. “Take care of your coven, my love.” She whispered before her eyes closed and she went limp into her arms.

Zelda couldn’t contain her sob. Her heart was aching when she placed Mary’s limp body on the floor and stood up. Her tears blinded her vision for a moment but she had a job to do; a job Mary asked her to do. She wiped her tears away angrily and gripped on the blade tightly. “Zelds, I can’t hold them off any longer.” Hilda warned her.

“Hecate, bless us with your powers. Give us strength to defeat the evil that’s threatening our home and our family. Bless our weapons to protect your children.” The auburn haired witch called upon her magic. She would kill the nun that took Mary away from her even if it was the last thing she did. Mary had given her the information she needed to protect her coven. She knew she couldn’t create weapons with her magic. They would be proven useless against the witch hunters’ protection. But thankfully, they kept a lot of them in the Academy in case the coven ever needed them. She felt stupid for not thinking it before. A vary of different swords and daggers came flying from different directions. Each of them stood in front of the person Zelda had chosen for this. She didn’t need to give out instructions. The young witches and warlocks knew what they had to do. She took pride on how smart and powerful her coven was.

Prudence, Nicholas, Agatha and two more of Zelda’s prized students gripped on their weapons and ran head against towards the witch hunters. Zelda headed towards the nun. That bitch was hers.

A wave of bolts came after the witches only to bounce back and fall to the floor harmlessly.

The panic on the witch hunters’ faces made Zelda smirk. The rest of the coven focused on their magic to keep a protection around their fighters. The witch hunters didn’t back down though. They pulled out their daggers and attacked back. Each witch ended up fighting against two or three witch hunters but their attacks were fruitless while the casters protected them. Zelda was the only one that went after the nun. Dolores threw down her crossbow and grabbed her dagger.

Zelda knocked the dagger out of the nun’s hands with ease. “This is for Mary.” She growled and drove Mary’s dagger into Dolores’ heart. The nun fell down with a gasp while Zelda watched her with satisfaction. The blood was pooling under her body but the scowl wasn’t leaving her lips. “I hope you will rot in Hell.” Zelda spat over her. The nun opened her mouth to say something to her but the only thing that came out was blood trickling down her lips.

Zelda watched the life leaving the nun’s body just as a few witch hunters escaped from the fighting and ran straight to the casters knowing full well that the only way to win the fight was to attack the unprotected witches while they were focused elsewhere. Hilda noticed them though and called out. “Zelda!”

To everyone’s great surprise, those witch hunters were the first to burst into white flames. The fighting stopped as soon as the screams echoed around the room. Soon enough the rest of the witch hunters fell on their knees while the white flame tore their skin from their bones. The coven watched in awe at the white flames and the shadow of wings burning leaving behind piles of ashes.

All witch hunters were gone. Dead. All but one. The boy couldn’t be older than 18 by the looks of it. Prudence ran towards him but was stopped by a loud voice.

“No. Leave this one.” The young witch took a step back and turned towards the voice. The rest of the coven did as well. Mary stood there holding onto a bloodied bolt. A powerful white aura enveloped her body as she floated a few inches over the floor. Her eyes had turned completely white and an accusatory finger was pointed towards the boy.

“This coven is protected. You and your kind are not to harm any of them. You are not welcome here. If any of you return, you are sealing your death. Make sure to pass the message and consider yourself lucky.” Zelda couldn’t believe what she was seeing. She heard hurried retreating footsteps but she didn’t turn to look at the boy. Her eyes were glued to the floating woman. She took a hesitant step towards her but the moment she blinked, she saw the white aura disappear and Mary fall with a loud thud on the floor.

She ran to her but Hilda was faster. She checked her pulse and breathed in relief. “Zelds, she is still alive. We need to help her.” Zelda’s hands were trembling when she reached out to touch Mary’s cheek. There was still hope. A sob escaped her lips.

“Take care of her aunties. We’ll take care of everything here.” Sabrina squeezed Zelda’s shoulder trying to reassure her that everything was going to be fine. Zelda nodded and inhaled a shuddering breath.

“I’ll take her back to the Mortuary.” She looked at Hilda.

“I’ll be right behind you.” Hilda squeezed her hand with a firm nod.

The two witches teleported back to their house leaving behind the younger members of the coven.

If someone could save the brunette, that would be the Spellman sisters.


	15. The aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE FINALE IS HERE!  
> I think this is one of my favorite chapters.  
> I hope you will enjoy this as much as I did!

The dull headache behind her eyes made it nearly impossible for Mary to open them. It felt worse than a concussion. God knows how many of those she had to go through before which only helped to convince her that this was not the case. The headache was too intense to be that. The more she thought about it the more the more she felt the ache behind her eyes intensifying. Before she had any more time to think about it though, sleep and exhaustion claimed her in an instant.

A few hours later, Mary was awakened by familiar voices in the room. It was the unmistakable voice of Ambrose and Zelda Spellman. There was no doubt. She couldn’t focus on what they were saying. It sounded muffled and distort. Instead she tried to open her eyes once more in an attempt to grab their attention. What had happened? She couldn’t focus on the events that brought her in that particular situation. Fear gripped on her chest wondering if she was hostage of the coven but she brushed the thought off as quickly as it came. Once again she was powerless to fight against her exhaustion and sleep buried its talons in her consciousness.

She didn’t even know how much time had passed since she was last awake. Mary forced her eyes open finally feeling rested but still quite lethargic. The first thing she noticed was red locks spread on the mattress by her side. She pushed herself into a sitting position and finally noticed the dull pain against her chest. She placed a hand against it and rubbed it to relieve herself of the pain which turned out to be a bad idea since it only resulted to the pain getting worst. Her fingers brushed against of the bandages on her chest and she looked on them alarmed.

Memories of the nun’s attack came rushing back. The pain from the bolt piercing through her heart was too vivid to forget. _How did I survive that?_ She furrowed her brows in confusion. _Am I dead?_ _Does that mean that Zelda is dead?_ She looked at the head with the familiar red locks and brushed that thought away. _Dead people do not sleep. You are being ridiculous, Mary. What happened to me? To them?_ If she was in the Mortuary judging by her surroundings and since Zelda was obviously asleep in a sitting –and clearly uncomfortable- position, that meant that everything went well after all. Right?

She let her fingers brush against the red locks in an attempt to wake Zelda up slowly. She got startled by Zelda’s head snapping up and looking around frantically. “Hey. Calm down. It’s just me.” She whispered softly.

Zelda’s unfocused eyes took in Mary and the sudden relieved smile made Mary feel a lot better. A shadow fell over Zelda’s eyes and Mary shivered with fear. In a sudden move Zelda slapped Mary’s shoulder. “How can you be so stupid? I thought I lost you. Why did you act so recklessly?” A few more slaps followed the pace the tears leaked from the redhead’s eyes.

“Zelda, stop. Stop!” The fear left Mary’s body when she realized that Zelda grew angry because the brunette sacrificed herself without even thinking about it. She leaned and pulled her into a tight hug. Her chest was aching with the stretch but she didn’t care. She had Zelda in her arms again and that’s all that mattered.

The auburn haired witch wrapped her arms around Mary’s body and buried her face in her neck afraid that if she let go, Mary would disappear into thin air. Mary, on the other hand, placed a hand on the back of Zelda’s head and brushed her fingers through her hair. Zelda sobbed into the other woman’s embrace but when she pulled back a little, Mary pulled her in for a kiss. “I am sorry, Zelda, but I couldn’t let you die.”

“Don’t do that again. You hear me?” Zelda glared at her which only made Mary chuckle. Of course it angered the redhead to the maximum and Mary ended up with another slap on the shoulder. “I am not joking.”

“Okay, okay. I am sorry. It won’t happen again.”

Mary pulled her on the bed and Zelda complied. They laid there in each other’s embrace in a comfortable silence; Zelda relieved and happy that Mary returned to the land of the living and Mary content and overjoyed by the fact that Zelda seemed to have forgiven her.

“Why didn’t you tell me before?” Zelda whispered.

“Tell you about what?”

“About your past… About who you are.” She clarified.

“I tried to tell you. Multiple times. I just didn’t know how. How do you tell someone that you only appeared in their life because your job was to kill them? And if you told them that you fell in love eventually and it made you change your whole belief system and turned your world upside down, would they believe you?”

“I would.” Zelda said looking up at her but the uncertainty in her eyes couldn’t be missed.

“Would you?” Mary arched a disbelieving eyebrow.

Zelda smiled a little. “Okay maybe not at first but I wouldn’t have the same reaction.”

“Yes, you would.” Mary chuckled leaning in and kissing her again. “But I am sorry I didn’t tell you. I am sorry for the pain I caused, Zelda. It was never my intention.”

“Let’s just put this all behind us. But no more secrets, okay? I am just too exhausted.” Zelda sighed caressing Mary’s stomach through her shirt. “Also no more sacrificing. That’s nonnegotiable.”

“I promise you. You can ask me whatever you want about my past and I promise I’ll answer honestly. I don’t want to have secrets from you. This past month it was torture. There you were all trusting and opening up to me and I was sitting there, a fearful idiot, unable to do the same.” Mary muttered pressing a kiss on Zelda’s head.

“I’ll say!” Zelda chuckled.

“Hey! You weren’t any better okay? At least your sister came to find me and listen to my story when you jumped into conclusions.” Mary pouted.

The redhead pulled back glaring. “Hilda knew before me?”

“Okay, you were not supposed to know that.” Mary eyed her with a sheepish look. “But to be fair she only found out because you told her and she sought me out to hear the rest. You, on the other hand, simply stormed out.”

“I’ll deal with that traitor later.” Zelda huffed and resumed her position of lying against Mary’s shoulder. “How are you feeling?” she murmured lacing their fingers together and obviously changing the subject.

Mary shrugged. “Like I got shot and died?” she chuckled. “How am I still alive by the way?”

Once again Zelda pulled back with the most confused look on her face. “You mean you don’t remember?” At Mary’s negative shake, Zelda’s eyebrows furrowed. “Mary you saved us all. I-I followed your suggestion and we took the nuns head on but it wasn’t enough.”

“And how did you win? How did I save you if not with my suggestion?”

“I don’t know exactly. One time you were lying dead on the floor and the next you were floating a few inches off of it and lit all the witch hunters on fire. It was quite impressive really.”

Mary stared at her for a good minute. The loudest laugh erupted from her lips startling Zelda. “Don’t toy with me!”

“Mary, I swear, I am not. That’s what happened.” The redhead insisted and Mary looked at her disbelievingly.

“I barely even remember using any magic in my whole life time and you mean to tell me that I managed to kill a dozen witch hunters in an instant with actual magic?”

“Technically that’s what I am saying. Yes.”

“I FOUND IT!” The door flew open all of a sudden and Ambrose walked in with the most satisfied and accomplished grin. “Oh Lili-, I mean Mary, I am glad to see you recovered.”

“Thank you, Ambrose.”

“Ambrose, what the hell? You almost gave me a heart attack.” Zelda exclaimed.

“Sorry, Aunt Z. I found what you asked me to look for. You won’t believe this.” He grinned approaching the bed. He passed the book he was holding to Zelda and crossed his arms in front of his chest like he usually did.

Zelda glanced down at the page he had marked while Mary peaked over her shoulder in curiosity. The two women read together but Mary couldn’t understand what it was that Zelda was looking for. That was until she saw a particular symbol that she had only seen once in her life. A soft gasp escaped her lips.

_ Guardians are protectors chosen and blessed by Hecate herself. They possess Hecate’s power of light and they are more powerful than witches. They are usually sent to protect covens consciously or not.  
Legend states that baby witches are blessed by the Goddess of Witchcraft and Light before they are even conceived. No one knows how the Goddess chooses the blessed child. The blessed babies bear a sigil that marks them as Guardians from the moment they are born to the moment they die.  
The sigils vary from Guardian to Guardian but they appear in the form of three half moons and a circle below them.  
The three moons represent the three-faced Goddess while the circle below them signifies the power given to the Guardian. _

The Spellmans turned to look at Mary who stared at the book with wide eyes. The brunette couldn’t believe what she was reading. The day before she didn’t even know she was a witch since her birth and now she discovered that she was a protector of them. _A Guardian?_ How was she supposed to deal with all of that? How was she going to repent for all the witches she killed before? The queasiness in her stomach became too much. She tossed the covers to the side and ran to the bathroom. She kneeled in front of the toilet bowl emptying the entire contents of her stomach.

Zelda was behind her in an instant. She pulled her hair back and ran her hand on her back affectionately. “Darling, are you okay?” she whispered kneeling by her side. Mary felt even more embarrassed as soon as she realized that Zelda heard her.

“I am sorry.” She muttered turning her head away as much as possible. Zelda reached over her to grab a towel and offered it to Mary.

“Why are you apologizing, darling?” Zelda asked in an attempt to understand. What they discovered was shocking but incredible at the same time. Mary wouldn’t be upset because of that. _Would she?_

“The things I’ve done…” Mary whispered shaking her head.

“Mary, listen to me.” When Mary didn’t turn to look at her, Zelda caught her chin softly. “Hey. Look at me.” The brunette looked at her hesitantly.

“The things you’ve done aren’t your fault. You were misled and they are all in the past. You can’t punish yourself for all of that. You died to protect the coven. Me. You died to protect a bunch of witches. That must count for something.” Zelda pressed her lips on Mary’s forehead. “Finding what you actually are isn’t a cause for sorrow and torturing yourself. It’s a cause for a celebration.”

Mary scoffed at that but Zelda was having none of it. She stood up pulling Mary with her. “It is. You are as unique as I thought you were. And even if you were not a Guardian or even a witch, you would still be unique to me.” Zelda confessed with a warm and truthful smile. “Now why don’t you wash up and join the family down for some dinner. I am sure Hilda and Sabrina would like to see you.” Zelda kissed her nose softly and turned to exit the bathroom.

Suddenly two arms wrapped themselves around her belly when Mary latched herself on her back. “Thank you.” She whispered. Zelda stroked her arms with a smile.

“You don’t need to thank me, my love.”

* * *

As soon as Mary stepped foot in the kitchen, a force hit her across her body with so much strength that she felt all air leave her lungs and her chest ache since her wound had not fully healed.

“Sabrina! Give the woman some air. She has not recovered completely yet.” Hilda berated the youngest Spellman who gasped and took an embarrassed step backwards.

“I am sorry, Lilith. Ehm, I mean Mary.” She smiled sheepishly rubbing her upper arm. “I am glad to see you are okay.” Mary pulled Sabrina into an affectionate hug. Sabrina’s arms immediately came around her.

“Thank you, Sabrina. I am glad you are all okay too.”

“Thank you for protecting my aunt.” Sabrina whispered in attempt to hide her words from the rest of her family.

“I would do it again in a heartbeat.” Mary whispered conspiratorially back. Even though Zelda heard them both she remained silent and hid her face behind her newspaper. She couldn’t deny how touched she was by the both of them. The love she received from the people in the room over and over again seemed unreal but it warmed her heart nonetheless.

After Sabrina joined Ambrose and Zelda at the table, Hilda approached Mary and pulled her into an embrace mindful of the brunette’s wounds. “I am glad to see you up and about, darling.” She stepped back and before she had a chance to thank her Hilda pushed her towards her usual seat. “Sit down and have some dinner before you collapse.” Hilda ran back to her stove and served a healthy portion of food on a plate before she placed it in front of Mary.

“Hilda, that’s way too-“

“Shush. Eat up.”

Hilda started passing plates around while the young Spellmans snickered and Zelda grinned behind her newspaper.

* * *

After dinner they all agreed on watching a movie all together to unwind. The three Spellmans moved to the living room arguing about which movie they were going to see while Mary was left in the kitchen with Hilda who was preparing popcorn for all of them.

Mary’s eyes fell upon Vinegar Tom in his basket and her eyebrows furrowed. She remembered reading something about Hecate’s powers in one of the books in the Academy. She couldn’t help but wonder. After making sure that Hilda was too busy to notice her, she kneeled beside the basket. She felt so silly for doing this but if no one knew she tried and failed, she wouldn’t need to be embarrassed, right?

Exhaling a deep sigh she reached out and placed her hands on the dog’s lifeless body. “Don’t fail me now.” She whispered.

“Did you say something, hon?” Hilda asked startling Mary but thankfully didn’t turn around.

“Ehm no no.” she brushed it off and focused back at her task. She closed her eyes and imagined Vinegar Tom barking and running around full of life. She could feel her magic bubbling uncontrollably into her veins. It was exhilarating but overwhelming at the same time. She felt dizzy but she refused to stop.

The kitchen window flew open with a sudden gust of air startling Hilda but going completely unnoticed by Mary. Her whole face was scrunched up in concentration when Hilda turned around and gasped at the same time Mary did.

Next thing Mary noticed was a very wet tongue licking at her wrists. She looked down and laughed happily while Hilda was watching frozen. The dog started barking immediately. He hopped off the basket and went crashing against the floor when his small feet got tangled at the edge. Completely unbothered by his fall, he took off in a search of his mistress barking all the way. Mary didn’t want to miss the look on Zelda’s face and quickly fled after him.

“Where the bloody heaven is that barking coming from?” Zelda asked. Before she had the chance to exit the living room Vinegar Tom burst into the room with Mary close on his trail. As soon as Tom saw her he went ballistic. He barked loudly running around her with pure joy.

The Spellmans stood there gaping like fishes. Mary couldn’t help but laugh. “Vinnie!” Zelda exclaimed and fell to her knees. The dog leaped on her and licked her. The pure joy on Zelda’s face made Mary’s heart flutter. The redhead hugged her restless familiar, happy tears rolling down her cheeks, while the dog wiggled into her arms unable to settle down.

Only when he finally calmed down did Zelda look up catching Mary’s eyes. “How?” she simply asked.

Mary shrugged with a grin. “I haven’t got a clue. I just gave it a try.”

Zelda stood up and walked to Mary hurriedly. She crashed her lips against the brunette’s in a powerful lingering kiss. “Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means to me.” She muttered against her lips.

“I love you, Zelda Spellman.” She whispered looking into a pair of green eyes shining with love and affection. “You are the best thing that ever happened to me.”

“I love you too, Mary.” Zelda brushed her thumb softly against Mary’s cheek.

The couple spent a few more minutes locked into their soft and warm embrace. Vinegar Tom sat near their feet looking up at them, his little tongue sticking out of his mouth in a pant. The younger Spellmans eyed each other with a mischievous smirk while Hilda watched the pair from the doorway with a satisfied smile. Until….

“THE POPCORN!” Hilda exclaimed running into the kitchen and breaking everyone from their trance while they all laughed or chuckled at Hilda’s panic.

Finally the whole family took their seats to watch the movie Sabrina picked; Zelda curled up against Mary with Vinegar Tom on their laps, Hilda and Ambrose on the armchairs and Sabrina on the floor by Ambrose’s feet with Salem lounging next to her.

* * *

Later that night when the couple retired in Zelda’s- their bedroom for the night, Mary was the one to curl into Zelda’s body; limbs tangled in a way that made them feel whole and reborn in one soul and body.

Mary glanced up at Zelda hesitantly.

Zelda didn’t fail to notice. She brushed a brown lock behind Mary’s ear. “Is something bothering you?” she voiced softly.

“Earlier when I casted that spell, I was able to feel the extent of my power. I-I got really overwhelmed into the point of fainting.” Mary stopped but Zelda didn’t interrupt her. Mary wasn’t used to this kind of magic and it was only logical to fear it. If there was someone who understood that feeling, it was definitely Zelda.

“You said that I used my magic to light the witch hunters on fire. But I don’t remember it happening. W-what if it happens again?” she muttered. “What if I do it to someone I care about?”

Zelda smiled. She brushed her lips against Mary’s in a reassuring kiss. “My sweet Guardian, that is not going to happen. It only happened because you protected your own coven in the first place.”

“My coven?” she furrowed her brows.

“Yes. You were obviously sent here for a reason. Call it destiny, karma, divine power; whichever you believe. In any case, I believe that Hecate brought you here for a reason. To save the coven and you did just that. Have no doubt. This is your coven now.” Zelda brushed her fingers through Mary’s hair affectionately.

“What if my emotions get the best of me and I end up hurting one of you?” she whispered.

Zelda couldn’t help but recall the memory of her attacking Mary. She tightened her almost healed fist. Mary took the fist in her own hand and pressed a kiss on it, slowly helping Zelda relax it. “I don’t mean like that. I understand why you did that. I don’t blame you for it, so don’t beat yourself over it. Please.”

Zelda smiled. “Okay, okay. How about I help you control your new magic whenever you don’t have to go to school? You are still keeping your position right?”

“Oh yes. I enjoy teaching those dunderheads and that includes your niece as well.” They shared a quiet laugh. “That sounds like a good idea.” Mary finally agreed with a relieved smile.

“That settles it then.”

“Thank you, my love.”

“No. Thank you, Mary, for coming to my life and turning into a wonderful and exciting mess.” She chuckled pulling the brunette into a heartfelt and devout kiss.

**THE END**

Cue “Happy Together” by the Turtles…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am actually really proud that I managed to finish this since I have a problem with finishing stuff.  
> Good job for making it to the end you guys!  
> Let me know your thoughts. I love reading them.  
> I didn't disappoint you, did I?  
> Let me know please <3


End file.
